Believe It Or Not, One Blockbuster Video Still Exists In America
I remember going to Blockbuster Video like it was yesterday. Ahh the memories; that bright blue and yellow sign, having to search for my ID card, and spending countless angst-ridden moments waiting for someone to return a new release that was in high demand. Believe it or not, ONE Blockbuster Video store is still standing. Sadly, a week ago there were three but two recently closed in Alaska, and so the last one remains and it should be treasured.
With the closing of the two Alaska locations, that leaves one lone Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, as the last holdout of the company’s years-long demise. The Alaska stores were apparently actually profitable, according to Deadline, but not enough to justify renewing their leases according to International Business Times.
Originally founded in 1985, Blockbuster was the place to go for many Americans who wanted to rent movies or video games for nearly three decades.
Everything today is pretty much either on demand or on Netflix and while all the Blockbuster Video stores in the Capital Region have been long gone, one sole store remains. For nostalgia's sake, I wish it was the one on Central Ave in Albany, but it's not, it's in Oregon. Disappearing like most Friendly's and Ponderosa's, Caldor and Lechmere's, Blockbuster Video is a piece of our past that serves a useful purpose in our nostalgic minds, but not in our practical everyday life.
I'm not resistant to change, I just like rooting for the underdog.