DVD Nouveau has always evoked an old school manner in me, hazy views of Portobello Road on a crisp evening, the lights drawing you in to a mythical world where everything is calm and far removed from the city life. Artists, painters and musicians all gathered inside, their postman bicycles laid freely about the shop while they discuss tales of the day. Images of Notting Hill and boutique book stores, discreet coffee shops and creative thinking, record stores with customers lying on couches listening to tracks.

The Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill

In winter when the rain is pouring down outside, the raindrops jogging down the windows, steam crawling up from the manhole covers, and you’re looking for some entertainment, then DVD Nouveau is the boutique store to visit.

DVD Nouveau in Newlands is all this and more and draws in all these creative people. DVD Nouveau have set up their store to feel like home, with warm lighting and friendly staff, plush red couches where you can relax and browse through the vast catalogue of DVD’s including art, cult, foreign, classics, documentaries and television series.

DVD Nouveau — Newlands, Cape Town

The store is built on something difficult to find and very rare these days, and that is customer service and recognition. It feels like you’re coming home and the staff recognise you and chat about the latest releases and their thoughts on the older titles available. They’re friendly and informed, leaving customers to browse at their will, but also being available to help out when needs be.

The double story DVD Nouveau in Newlands, Cape Town, evokes memories of classic video stores that you’ve seen in movies or overseas, but for once, it’s available in Cape Town.

What I’m most impressed with is the vast selection of both old and new titles. You can get anything from The Dead Poets Society to The Godfather films, Schindlers List, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Big Lebowski and anything else you could possibly think of. Then there is Eddie Murphy Raw (Brilliant!), Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle and none other than Eddie Izzard including the favourites Dress to Kill and Sexie. Which I’m sitting with!

Spider-Man popcorn — Because beneath the hedonistic exterior, I’m just a little boy!

Some of the titles available, especially Eddie Izzard, don’t have covers on the shelves so just ask the staff and they’ll bring them up for you. There is hardly a movie they won’t have that you want to see. I go to DVD Nouveau all the time and each time I visit I find another classic I have been meaning to pick up. There are also documentaries including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and a whle host of Top Gear seasons so they really do have all genres covered.

If you’re into series then everything is available including Little Britain, Entourage, 30 Rock and all your other favourites.

Movies cost R22 to hire, but you get to keep them for two days and there is no specfic time you have to return them by, as long as it is before the end of the day before the shop closes.

With new titles, it is also R22, but you keep them for one day, and again, take it back anytime before the close of the day.

DVD Nouveau really is the only place you need to hire DVD’s from in Cape Town, so go on, take a look around.

You’ll love it.

DVD Nouveau currently have two stores in Cape Town, situated at the following addresses:

28A Kildare Road

Newlands Village

Cape Town

And

166 Bree Street

Cape Town CBD

Sean Lloyd

Editor