The Manhattan Times

My favorite business: Kappy-Cua Video

The magical world of film is an art form meant to be shared. We enjoy watching movies with friends. We like to share our opinions and hear what others think. The storylines themselves are about interaction, or sometimes, perhaps, the inability to interact.

Northern Manhattanites have the opportunity to join a family of film lovers at 91 Pinehurst Ave. where they can discover the wonderful world of cinema contained at Kappy-Cua Video (pronounced: cap-ee-coo-ah).

Not only can customers find the same ‘flavor of the month’ films that are hawked by Internet-based vendors, but they can also bask in the history of filmdom itself among the store’s 20,000 titles. There are films in many formats: Blu-ray, DVD and videocassette. Films in languages from around the globe including many subtitled in Spanish. Films that span over 80 years of movie-making. And even TV series on DVD.

You will also find the warm embrace of a family-run business.

Paul Galdames, the present manager of Kappy-Cua, has been with the business for almost 25 years, long enough to remember the original location at W. 187th Street and Broadway when it primarily sold records and music equipment.

But with the video revolution in the 1980s and 90s, the store began stockpiling every conceivable VHS movie that was available: new films, recent films, old films, foreign films, comedies, musicals, dramas, thrillers, action, sci-fi. Remarkably, much of that inventory still exists on VHS.

Though other video stores sprang up in the area, including the huge competitor Blockbuster Video, since closed, Kappy’s ace in the hole then, and now, is its formidable collection of hard-to-find classic and foreign films.

The first time I went to Kappy-Cua I couldn’t believe the selection. There was the 1948 film noir “Road House” with Ida Lupino, Pasolini’s 1970 masterpiece “Medea” with Maria Callas (her only film) and Hitchcock’s original “The Man Who Knew Too Much” from early 1934, filmed in England before he became a household name in the U.S.

The more I browsed, the more astonished I became. I began to realize that this place was a film-lover’s dream come true! It made me happy that I had moved into the neighborhood.

In 2007 when the owner decided to retire, Paul set out to find new owners that he could work with. One night he ran into two of the store’s avid customers, Wanda Suazo and Lisa Lackey, and mentioned that the store was on the market. They jumped at the chance.

The women had been thinking about a joint business venture for some time that could capitalize on their talents. Lisa would use her practical business acumen and her ‘ducks-in-a-row’ sense of organization. Wanda, on the other hand, was a film fanatic, extremely knowledgeable in the medium and had plenty of experience in customer relations.

Together with Paul they have embarked on what became a Renaissance at the newly named Kappy-Cua Video, which references the Caribbean phrase “Cap-y-cu,” a dominoes term that is the equivalent of checkmate.

The shop was brilliantly re-organized to accommodate easier access to the films. The room suddenly became more spacious, the categories of films more clearly defined. Kids even have their own section to browse.

As regular customers began returning to the shop they would break into smiles, surveying the new look with approval and admiration. Some just said, “Wow!” It’s not unusual to hear customers in animated discussion with one another about films they’ve just seen.

But the biggest change has been the atmosphere and ambience. Wanda, Lisa and Paul have imbued the room with a warm, gracious and friendly feeling that had never existed before.

Both Wanda and Lisa pre-view new releases before they are available to the public to decide what to recommend, and to whom. That they are usually right on the money indicates how sensitive they are to their clientele.

And based on the dozens of written testimonials that I recently read, their customers love the home-like atmosphere, the individual attention they get and above all, the personalities of the staff.

Wanda and Lisa are constantly thinking of ways to upgrade. They hope to begin selling video games this fall and carrying books on tape. They also want to begin home delivery service and put their inventory of titles on their Web site.

If you don’t know the shop, or haven’t been there for a while, you should check it out. See if you can guess the ‘film quote of the week.’ If you do, you’ll get a free rental . . . come in and become part of the family.

“My favorite business” is the first in a series of reader-generated stories that highlight the small businesses that contribute so much to the neighborhood. To write in about your favorite place to shop, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.