Lanexang Music & Video, 188 Branch St, Lowell, MA 01851, US

How does a video store survive in the time of Netflix and on-demand movies on cable? The Video Underground has done it since October of 2002 by making a home for independent films and the people who love them. "We give customers a curatorial voice," said owner Evonne Hyla Wetzner. She opened the store "to fill a void for independent film in the city of Boston." In addition to having more than 15,000 carefully chosen movies to rent or buy, the store hosts a "Backyard Film Series" on Thursday nights during the summer. If a customer wants to know if The Video Underground has a particular title, visit its well-designed website, which has a continuously updated database. It's instant gratification versus waiting for a movie to show up in the Netflix queue. Wetzner credits Jamaica Plain itself as a reason for the store's success. "I think people in Jamaica Plain are more focused on shopping locally," she said.