A well-known Brisbane DVD store, frequented by many University of Queensland students in the 1990s, will close its doors at the end of the month.

Owner Ann Frommelt has run the business on Hawken Drive in St Lucia for 24 years but said the rise of downloading and streaming had pushed her to make the decision.

Ms Frommelt's original store was stocked with VHS tapes and situated at the Gailey Five Ways before moving to its current location.

She said the thing she would miss the most is the relationships she has created within the community.

"It's like the relationship with your hairdresser — you share divorces, deaths, families and kids going away," Ms Frommelt said.

"Women who have lost their partners would come to me looking for a movie that doesn't touch any raw nerves.

"It helped them cover those lonely evening times for those first few months and the relationships you build up are very strong."

She said the public's reaction since the announcement of the closure had been overwhelming.

"People are coming in and verbalising what they feel," Ms Frommelt said.

"It's very much been part of the fabric of the community and it's really hit home how big of a part of their lives it has been."

Books just won't balance

The well-known DVD store has stayed open longer than many others due to niche movies. ( 612 ABC Brisbane: Terri Begley )

With the ability to stream movies at home, Ms Frommelt said the ritual of hiring a DVD had been fading fast for the past five years.

"Renting movies was a Friday afternoon treat with takeaway," she said.

"Now I guess it will be fish and chips and head home to download.

"We've been able to stay a little longer than some due to our niche product and due to our clientele in the area that appreciate that niche product."

Despite trying hard to balance the books, Ms Frommelt said the business was no longer viable.

"It's reached the point now that the figures just aren't adding up," she said.

"I've tried doing more hours and bringing the overheads down.

"Technology and things are changing quickly, like the music and book industry did and now we're going through it.

"It was just a matter of when it caught up to us."

The most rented title

Ms Frommelt said any James Bond film was always the hardest to keep on the shelves.

"Any of those huge blockbusters like Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings were popular and you could never have enough copies," she added.

"I don't want to hear Owen Wilson's voice anymore ... his voice drives me nuts!"

Tango Lesson: A gem

She said a big part of the job had been helping people choose the perfect title.

"You get to know your customers' tastes very well, in fact there are cases when I'm placing orders when I know who is going to watch each movie," Ms Frommelt said.

"There's one favourite of mine called Tango Lesson, a Sally Potter movie ... it's a quiet gem that no-one knows about it and it's one of my all-time favourite movies."

When the store closes its doors for the last time at the end of the month, Ms Frommelt said a much-needed holiday was on the cards.

"I don't feel like I'm ready to retire so I'm going to take some R&R time and then see," she said.