Upstairs Video

I like what they have done with the place. The sign on the door makes it look like you are going into a noir-​ish detective agency. The selection here is fabulous. You would probably have to go down to Bloor St to find the titles you can find here. So if you live in midtown this is a great place to find your more obscure dvds.

Great place with a huge selection of things you may not see anywhere else — great documentary section, cult films, blaxploitation and much more. Super-​reasonable, huge selection and knowledgeable staff.

16 steep steps above street level lies this fantastic little video store.
It’s one of those independent video stores that only employs the most hardcore movie junkies. You know, the ones that find the Hollywood blockbusters a waste of time and knows everything about every indie film ever made. It’s a big plus.
The films are organized by a variety of things including genre and better yet, director. I find I often discover new great movies when movies are organized by director.
Like other indie rental video shops the movies are all tagged with a little piece of movie reel. The reel is held in place by a little piece of velcro, and it’s this piece that you present to the cashier to get the actual DVD that they keep safe behind their counter.
They carry some pretty obscure television shows, documentaries, foreign films and movies so if you’re looking for something that’s a little harder to find, they probably carry it.
Anyway, apart from having a great selection of videos and really knowledgable staff just full of good advice on what to watch, this place is cheap. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth taking the 16 steps up to Upstairs Video.

I’m a little surprised that I’m the first to Unilocal this place, since my pre-​review Google hunting revealed that it already has a lot of fans. For instance, it didn’t make it onto blog. to’s list of Best Video Stores but numerous commenters took the time to give it a shout-​out as the best «uptown» video rental place.
And justifiably so!
Upstairs (so named because it lies at the top of a very steep flight of stairs) boasts a very well organized and frequently refreshed selection of titles with an emphasis on decidedly middlebrow flicks, as well as a well curated array of artsy, foreign, cult, and other esoterica. You know that Sundance gem that all your urban-​sophisticate, thick-​framed-​glasses-​wearing friends have been name dropping for the last month, and that you’ve been meaning to see, but keep forgetting the title of? Chances are that (if it’s any good) Upstairs has it. They also stock most decent HBO, amc, etc. series — think Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc. They usually have several copies of most things, although on one occasion I had to come back a few times because someone decided they just couldn’t part ways with one of the Breaking Bad discs.
Though the people running it clearly know from cinema, they have a good eye for customer service: they’re friendly, it’s spotless and well organized, and the rates are reasonable. I like that you can take out New Releases for a full week for just $ 5.00. Also open ’til 11 PM 7 days a week.