On November 15, 2010, the neighborhood of Bay View lost one of the cornerstones of the community: Bucky’s Super Video. I am absolutely obsessed with movies. I don’t believe I would be had it not been for this rental spot with its iconic green banner, freshly popped popcorn, and hundreds upon hundreds of movies.
I recently had a chance to sit down with former manager Tom Ebert to discuss the good old times of Bucky’s Super Video and reminisce about when video stores were at their height. Tom, who was the mustachioed face of the store, is still as jovial as I remembered. He invited me into his home and was more than happy to share all of his memories, but he had a surprise. Sitting on his couch was Tommy Ebert Jr., his son and a former employee who proudly states he “was fired nine times” while working for the store. They laughed, and Tommy admitted it was only twice.
Another surprise: “I also invited Bucky to come talk about the store,” Tom said. The Bucky? I had always assumed it was named after Bucky Badger. “We’re still suing them,” Bucky stated, without missing a beat. There he was: Bucky Kohnke, not only the namesake of the store but also its co-owner along with his wife, Kathy Grebe-Kohnke.
It’s clear that despite being gone for more than 15 years, this store still matters to them. Tom remembers the opening date: October 24, 1986.
Back in the 1980s, video rental stores were very popular, and Bay View had a number of them. Besides Bucky’s, there was RSE Video and Video Attractions, not to mention a little area to rent tapes at the local Pick ‘n Save. While I frequented all of them at one point or another, none of them felt as special as Bucky’s.
But how did Bucky’s begin?
“I worked for KB Toys for ten years in a lot of different positions. But I had just gotten to the point where I was thinking it was time to move on,” Bucky told me. He talked about renting from a video store in Wauwatosa, and he lamented that every video store felt unorganized due to their lack of computer systems. On top of that, if you found a movie you wanted to rent, you’d have to yell to the clerk up front.
Bucky couldn’t stand the yelling, and as a former merchandiser and supervisor for KB Toys, he felt he could do better. However, Bucky didn’t do this alone. During our conversation, both Tom and Bucky were adamant that Bucky’s wife Kathy get her due, as “she was the heart and soul of the store.” Bucky recollected fondly about sitting at the kitchen table with all the kids running around as they brought inventory home they purchased from other stores. Bucky’s Super Video was truly a mom-and-pop video store in every sense of the word.
It was common knowledge that Bucky was always looking for ways to diversify. Tom mentioned they were once “Troll central” when it came to the popular, spiky-haired cherubic toy. “We had not hundreds, but thousands of Trolls to sell. And they sold like crazy,” he said. They also got into the world of tanning, feeling it would be a great way to bring in different clientele, even if they both felt they were a little late.
For many of us, though, it was the eclectic candy selection—Choward’s Violet Mints, Charleston Chews, etc.—and the beloved Wisconsin soda brand Black Bear that made Bucky’s stand out. I still believe that every movie is made better with a bottle of Black Bear soda.
We talked about a lot, but I wanted to know everyone’s favorite memory. Tom’s son, Tommy Jr., chimed in with tears in his eyes: “My favorite memory, I would think, was when I actually found my voice. When I actually did go up to customers and talk to them, get to know them, and recommend movies…it was like being a part of something bigger than myself, something bigger like the Bay View community.”
Tom smiled at this response and added, “The love that was shared in there, it stays with me.” Bucky, being the jokester he is, just commented that it was getting a little too mushy, but did mention that it was the best experience of his and Kathy’s life.
While I know Bucky and Kathy were the owners, Tom was the face of the store, and every time I went in, he was there with a smile and a movie recommendation. I asked Tom what his official title was, and without thinking, he replied, “Bucky’s guy.”
A big part of video store culture is the “staff picks” section: this is where you’d go if you wanted to rent a video but weren’t sure what to get. Video store clerks were tastemakers—programmers, if you will. I said I wanted to end this piece with the final Bucky’s staff pick.
Tom went right back into the video clerk mindset and stated he used to recommend the 1980 Christopher Reeve film Somewhere In Time when a guy would come in wanting something to watch with his significant other. Bucky went on to say that the film with the most meaning, for him, is The NeverEnding Story. He responded to the themes of continuing on, always fighting forward, never saying “no” and never letting “The Nothing” take over.
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