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This Man Closed His Video Store, Except For One Customer Who Needed It Most

March 3, 2025

Today's good news story comes from Pocatello, Idaho.

The last remaining video rental store in Pocatello, Video Stop, has officially closed its doors—but for one devoted customer, the magic of movie rentals will continue. Thanks to the compassion of store owner David Kraning, a small section of films will remain available for a very special reason.

Credit: Robert Blank

For over 15 years, Christina Cavanaugh, who has Down syndrome and is mostly nonverbal, has made renting movies an essential part of her routine. With Video Stop ceasing rentals and liquidating most of its collection, Christina’s mother, Toni, worried about how the closure would impact her daughter’s daily life.

That’s when Kraning stepped in with a heartfelt solution. He decided to keep a portion of the store’s movies and dedicate a quiet corner in his adjacent K & B Kwik Stop convenience store to continue rentals for Christina.

“It’s a huge relief,” Toni told East Idaho News. “It felt like such a heavy burden was lifted.”

Christina has always had a deep connection to video rental stores, associating each one with her favorite films. She referred to Video Stop as “Babar” after renting Babar: The Movie there, and another rental store, Great American Video, as “Beast” after borrowing Beauty and the Beast. When Great American Video closed, Christina struggled to understand why she couldn’t go inside anymore, a painful moment for both her and her mother.

Losing Video Stop would have been another major disruption, but Kraning couldn’t let that happen. After considering options, he realized an unused section of his store could be repurposed to preserve Christina’s cherished routine.

“It wasn’t too much work to add some shelves and create a mini video rental section just for her,” Kraning explained.

Credit: Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

K & B Kwik Stop employees have long treated Christina like family, even learning her unique way of checking out movies. When providing her phone number at checkout, she waits for employees to repeat each digit before moving on—a process they happily accommodate.

“They’re more than just customers,” said manager Jennifer Klassen. “They’re family.”

While the new rental corner will be available to other trusted customers, it was Christina who inspired its creation. When Toni first saw the setup, she affectionately called it “Christina’s corner.”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Toni expressed her appreciation for Kraning and his team.

“How can your heart not melt when you see people in the community taking care of each other?” she said.