With the closing of Blockbuster on Forbes Avenue last summer, most Pitt students were at a loss when it came to renting movies in Oakland. There is another Blockbuster in Bloomfield, and it's always possible to order a movie from Netflix - but what about when you and your friends want to watch a movie right away?

"A Night at the Roxbury" just won't seem as funny as it did when you talked about it three to six weeks ago.

Fortunately, a little movie-rental store called Dreaming Ant opened on the second floor of 406 S. Craig St., this past March, providing students with a rental option within walking distance and instant gratification for all their movie-rental needs.

Dreaming Ant started as an independent rental store in 2003 in the back of Crazy Mocha Coffee in Bloomfield on Liberty Avenue. It specialized in foreign cinema, documentaries and music films.

Over the past four years, Dreaming Ant outgrew its location. Its new spot, between Caliban Book Shop and Ali Baba on Craig Street in Oakland, was opened to accommodate the store's growing catalogue.

Dean Brandt, the owner, also hopes that the new location will draw more members from the Oakland area. He feels that record store Brave New World and Phantom of the Attic Comics are the perfect businesses for him to share a building with.

Like its vertical neighbors, Dreaming Ant - with its slogan: "DVDs. A little off-center." - is a unique place on Craig Street, offering Pitt students titles in the periphery of mainstream movies.

Although Dreaming Ant specializes in independent and foreign cinema, it also stocks a large selection of Hollywood releases, including "A Night at the Roxbury."

Also, if the movie you want is in stock at Dreaming Ant's Bloomfield location, you can pick it up in Oakland the next day.

Membership to Dreaming Ant is free and the rental store also frequently offers discounts and specials on rentals.

Brandt feels optimistic for Dreaming Ant's Oakland location and isn't discouraged by Blockbuster's closing, believing an independent rental store can offer more for its clients.

"It's kind of nice that we're still standing, and the chains and the franchises are fading away," Brandt said.

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