TLA Video still holding on in Bryn Mawr

Goofy signs declaring, "No Humans Allowed." Ceiling in eye-catching purple. Posters of Wizard of Oz-era Judy Garland.

There's a lot to look at inside TLA Video in Bryn Mawr, but in the end, most visitors are there for one thing: movies. There are aisles and aisles of them, and a staff of self-proclaimed film nerds to guide the way.

The Lancaster Avenue store now finds itself the last of seven TLAs, and its future beyond the expiration of its lease in October 2012 is uncertain. For now, though, it remains a Main Line fixture, a gathering spot, a place to browse through movies, posters, and video games.

Assistant manager Miguel Gomez said he didn't like the idea of shuttering the store, because its closure would push people away from the downtown.

"Stores really provide service for the community. People like to browse and talk to other people," he said. Personally, he added, he would miss sharing his knowledge with customers.

The TLA chain, which dates to the mid-1980s, operated a beloved Center City store that closed this summer. The first Bryn Mawr location opened in October 1991, where a Bertucci's now stands. Seven years later, it moved a few doors down to its current location, which boasts 20,000 titles covering a wide range of genres.

TLA also has an Internet operation, the kind of service that has driven the industry shift away from bricks-and-mortar stores.

Gomez, for one, doesn't like the change to downloads and instant streaming. They "make movies seem more disposable," he said.

Bryce Warman, 24, a graduate student at St. Joseph's University, has been working at TLA Video for three years.

"I loved browsing video stores as a kid," he said. Closing video shops kills a social aspect of people's lives, Warman says. "It's not the same effect looking at a thumbnail."

Steve Spurgeon, 40, a regular at TLA Video, is sad to think that its doors might close. It's "such a drag," he said, "to see specialty stores going away."

Another customer, Laurie Bludman, 22, who recently graduated from Pennsylvania State University, said she didn't know what she would do if the store closed down.

"I love TLA Video," she said. "Everyone here is really nice."

However, William Hill, 48, wasn't worried about going online if picking up movies the old-fashioned way were no longer available.

"It would be an easy transition," he said.

Owner Ray Murray has some time to decide whether Hill will have to make that transition. In a recent interview about the store's future, he said: "We're going to wait and see. We're taking it month to month."