Snowflakes fell on a cold December night in 2022 when Kevin Wildt's life changed.
Wildt is an owner at Vortex Souvenirs, a store located in Delano that sells curiosities, geeky gizmos and other doodads.
In the back of the store, there's an unused space that's covered by a curtain. Inside, Wildt decided to open up a pop-up store to sell some VHS tapes he had amassed over the years.
People came and went, taking troves of films with them.
"People kept asking, 'This is so cool. I remember when I used to rent videos,' " Wildt said. "They'd talk about how they'd miss that."
Wildt saw people's excitement at being in his store. He would chat with them about the days of video rentals.
"All of a sudden that started to make me think," Wildt said. " 'Well, what would that look like now?' "
As Wildt's pop-up store closed, his mind began racing with a new idea.
"What's an updated, fresh look at the video rental store?" Wildt asked himself. "I just got so excited to start building it."
Thus, Cine-Genic was born. Wildt said the name is a spin on the word "photogenic."
Wildt began to research movie rental stores and their history. He attributes a lot of his inspiration to memories as a kid in video stores.
Of course, you can't talk about video rental without talking about Blockbuster.
Computer software engineer David Cook founded the company in Dallas in 1985.
Back then, the only way people could watch movies at home was either through television broadcasts or by buying VHS tapes. Cook offered people the ability to watch any movie at any time for just a small rental fee.
Wildt remembers the store's carpeted floors and the smooth yet rough textures of the movie's plastic covers. He said he doesn't just remember the feel of the store, but the memories he made there.
"That was such a cherished part of my youth in growing up in a small town in Kansas," said Wildt, who's from Valley Center. "That was my way, pre-internet, of exploring things out of my small town."
Blockbuster went on to become a pop culture icon. But it closed in 2014 after filing for bankruptcy due to competition from other video rental companies and the growth of streaming services.
The way people watched movies at home changed, and Blockbuster just couldn't keep up.
But Wildt never forgot the feeling of discovering new films, new languages and new stories at video stores. Movies aren't just a form of entertainment, he said.
"With films, it's such a good way to explore the entire world if you're willing to take chances and get out of that comfort zone of the mainstream," Wildt said.
The selection of DVDs and VHS tapes that Cine-Genic will carry is meant to not just entertain but to expand film literacy, according to Wildt.
As he sees it, films are a way to travel both to other countries as well as across time. Films can capture historic events through the lens of other nations; they can tell stories that most mainstream movies cannot.
"I'm hoping to share more stories with the Wichita community so we can all grow together through other people's stories," Wildt said. "I want to live in a community where we have the experiences of other people influencing the decisions that we make and the empathy that we have."
When Wildt isn't working at the front counter of Vortex Souvenir, he can be found in that back corner of the store. Instead of his VHS pop-up, Cine-Genic will find its permanent home there.
The store is set to open in August and will offer a monthly $12 subscription for access to its catalog.
Wildt said he's excited, not just to see his store open, but to see people's smiles as they remember the nostalgia – and magic – of video rental.
"Watching people experience things that I've built, whether that's Vortex Souvenir or Cine-Genic," Wildt said. "It makes it all worth it because that's the whole purpose."
