I've driven past this shop for years, and as someone with experience in video conversion, I've…read morealways been curious about what sort of systems were set up inside. Their website looks straight out of the 90s. There's a lot of information, but I was floored by the fact that I could only order a conversion by **printing out and mailing in an order form** until I saw the fine print that said "walk-ins welcome". I had an old Betamax tape that I didn't have the equipment to convert, so I finally had a reason to stop by! I expected to find a 40-something in a clean, technologically up-to-date shop who could look at a piece of media and digitize it to a file type of your choosing. But stepping into Video Lab is like stepping back in time - decked out like a library with stacks and stacks of VCRs and cables, it looks like it could be a vintage bootleg server room. There's a life-size cutout of John Wayne and a variety of stickers that make the proprietor's politics apparent. The customer area is just a tiny sliver next to the front door blocked off by a counter, which gives the place the air of a museum exhibit to be observed from afar. I stood at the counter for maybe 20 seconds with no sign of life until a man shuffled out from around a corner. He didn't acknowledge me so I started the conversation. If I remember correctly, Steve's been running this shop since around 1982, and I get the sense that he stopped updating his processes once DVDs became the dominant media format. He plays a tape in real time while it burns to a DVD and watches TV in the background to fill the time. I was disappointed that he only offered to convert to DVD. My tape conversion was ready within 24 hours. Since DVDs have not been the dominant media format for close to a decade, my plan was just to rip the video to my hard drive and toss the disc. However, the disc wouldn't play in my Samsung DVD player, so I brought it back along with some of my equipment with the hope that I could just connect my computer to his Betamax player to import the tape directly. He seemed baffled by the request but invited me to step back into the stacks of players and helped me hook up my computer. Sitting there waiting for my tape to import, I marveled at the setup and thought about how much fun it'd be to help him streamline the operation. As we were chatting, I asked him why he was only offering DVDs instead of more versatile solutions like thumb drives, and he suggested that there wasn't demand for it. This surprised me, but he did have piles of finished orders on the counter so I suppose he's doing fine.

Truly happy with this experience and the product! I did some research on the places where you send…read moreyour VHS tapes to be dubbed. They were more money than I expected to or wanted to pay and there was up to a 6-week turnaround! So I remembered this tiny little place right around 56th and South Tacoma Way. I called and spoke with Steve. My first concern was with the copyright on an obscure exercise video from 1994 that was never made into a DVD. He immediately said copyrights expire after 25 years. I live about 3 or 4 miles away from there, so I popped into my car and drove right over. He quoted $24.95 plus tax, cash. ($27.49) He told me it would be ready the next day! So after phone call from him the following day, I popped back into my car and went back. I am deliriously happy that I will be able to use an exercise format that helped me lose over 50 lb back in the day. (I'm a little creakier and only need to lose about 15, but I know this video works for me.) the only place I have for a VCR has about three square feet of area in which to move. Now I can use my living room! I am viewing it as I write this, and I find it to be of perfect quality. In less than 24 hours! Steve was a pleasure to deal with and I can't find any reason why I would not go back once I find more things to convert! Definite 10 / 10 !

Our son wanted to trade in some switch games and old switch console…read more Jacey was incredibly patient and helpful for him. She took the time to go over his options and ways to save even more via pro. The trade value she provided was very fair and I couldn't be happier for him! He decided to buy a few items and took the rest via gift card. Thanks for making his day! A++

This place was super busy because of the holiday. I needed assistance but couldn't even figure out…read morewhere the start of the line was or who to ask. Felt like a Black Friday shopping spree. An employee with blue hair (loves the hair btw lol) saw how confused and overwhelmed we were. She approached us helped us until we got what we needed and checked out. Super friendly!

I came in looking for funko pops and left with a very pleasant experience. I don't usually frequent…read morethis side of Tacoma, so naturally this isn't my usual GameStop but since I was in the area I decided to make a pit stop. Since the moment I came in I was greeted, I was asked if I needed any help and I was told about the promotions the store had by LaPorscha. LaPorscha went above and beyond in helping me find these 2 Pops I purchased. Both Funko Pops were not in display but LaPorscha mentioned she could look them up in the system. She went to the back, browsed around and found Silver Surfer, but Invisible Woman, man, she was truly invisible! The system said they had her in stock but she was nowhere to be found! But LaPorscha did not give up, she kept looking, heck, she even delayed her break to help me!! At the end of it all I left with exactly what I needed and wanted, and with the joy of a very satisfied customer! Prices were good, and they had a lot of deals and promotions. I did not do any trade ins, so I am unaware of their pricing for that, but my experience was great. I highly recommend this location, and huge shout out to LaPorscha, your costumer service was FANTASTIC!

Ellie has a fountain of courtesy in this store. I came in distraught and left immensely…read moreappreciative. Mad props, if my approval means anything I approve!

Great selection and solid pricing. Most books fall in the $7-$20 range, with a nice mix of new and…read moreused titles. The checkout experience was smooth, though the space is a bit tight and there aren't many cashiers, so I could see it getting crowded during busy times. The reason I'm not giving 5 stars is the buyback program. I brought in 12 books that were new or in like-new condition (no damage, no markings and some hadn't even been read) and was offered just $0.50 per book, totaling $7 for all 12. This included three complete series and several standalone titles. Out of curiosity, I checked their shelves and saw some of the same books priced between $8-$15 each. Overall, it's a great place to shop for books, but I wouldn't recommend selling here if you're hoping to get fair value especially if your books are in excellent condition.

This store was bigger than I expected and the prices were very reasonable. I found a bigger…read moreselection here than a major chain bookstore. Found a book I was looking for at $5.99. There is even a clearance section! Double discounts! Cool other items. Teller was chill and service was speedy. Definitely will be back. They even have an online store.