IN GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, a sleepy town of 29,000 where the laws of time seem not to apply, a just-opened Family Video storefront beckons customers with signs promoting the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Inside, long rows of DVDs line aisles festooned with placards offering two movie rentals for a dollar, and at the register a smiling cashier greets regulars by name. Yes, the year is 2017-and the Granite City store is defying odds, humming along in an industry most people assume has ceased to exist. In fact, the business is "doing gangbusters," says its owner, Keith Hoogland, who has grown Family Video into a sprawling chain of 759 locations spread across 19 states and Canada, with a concentration in the Midwest and rural America and with more grand openings on the way. "I'm 57 years old," says Hoogland, "and this is the most exciting time I've ever had in my life."
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