This article originally appeared in the February 2015 Boston Compass (#61).

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Kung Fu Video & DVD
365 Washington Street #2
Boston, MA

Situated along a boring stretch of Washington Street in downtown Boston (above a jewelry marketplace) is Kung Fu Video & DVD, a niche video store focusing on a wide range of martial arts, anime, and Asian films on DVD. They exist against all odds in an area of Boston (downtown) that has for years been experiencing a severe leeching-away of anything and everything that is interesting or of a sociologically independent nature.

How, you might rightly ask, does a store remain viable selling martial arts DVDs in a brick-and-mortar in 2015? Well, they also sell glass and all manner of related products is the answer, of course! Beyond serving as a resource for the two very important aforementioned pursuits, KUNG FU VIDEO & DVD also offers itself up as a hub of Boston area hip-hop and related music. Stop in and get caught up on what is happening in your city. In fact, bring your stuff down, hip-hop or not. This is a place that celebrates community. Make it part of yours; ask them to sell your art and music. The folks who run this store are longtime supporters of the Compass to whom I give my absolute, 100% stamp of approval. Give them your business. May many more small businesses open up that are run by people like the ones behind this downtown oasis.

—Dan Shea

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