Raina and Shane Greene's business plan started when the Dayton couple realized how much they spent a month on movie rentals.
"He was bringing home movies all the time, spending $40-$60 a month, so we figured that we could earn money and get movies out of this too," said Raina Greene, 29.
Shane Greene, a manager at Smith's, and his wife, a Western Nevada Community College student, are the first owner/operators of a Moviebank in Nevada.
The young couple, who have three children, have invested $120,000 into their movie rental business that will open in Reno in December. Their Sharlands Avenue business is more likely to catch on in an urban area, they said, before they decide to open locations in Dayton or Carson City. Shane Greene's father, Robert Taylor, is also a partner in the business.
"It's pretty cool because we're getting in on the ground floor," said Shane Greene, a Carson High grad.
Moviebank is a automated video rental system for fans who just can't get enough of Tom, Russell or Denzel at any hour of the day. Customers can choose between 1,500 movie titles released in the last two years.
Customers insert their debit or credit cards into the main terminal and then they choose movies to rent or buy on a touch screen. The machine shoots out the selected DVDs. The business also has online service.
For those who start memberships in Moviebank, the first six hours of renting the movie costs $1 or $2.99 for 24 hours and $1 thereafter. For those who don't open a membership account, which are free but require pre-paid cards, the cost is $3.99 for 24 hours. Customers who keep a movie beyond 13 days will automatically be charged $30, which is the cost of the movie and daily fees.
Raina Greene recently presented their plan to her college business communications class.
She said the students, which would be a large customer base for a movie store, were enthusiastic.
• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.