In the not too distant past, in Any town, USA, families and friends would pack into the car on Friday and Saturday nights and set off to the local Blockbuster store in search of the latest movie, video game and, in some stores, music releases.
It is hard to believe that as of writing this post there is only one Blockbuster store left in the United States, and I believe the world, and it is located in Bend, Oregon.
I have so many memories of walking up and down the isles trying to find that perfect movie or video game for the evening. Carefully searching the shelves reading the summary on the back of the boxes, admiring the the artwork on the front (especially in the golden days of VHS), I could get lost inside for hours just taking it all in. A trip to Blockbuster or any video store in it's heyday, was more than just an in and out trip, it was an experience.
On the last episode of The Unknown Podcast, we called up the store in Oregon, and it was quite refreshing to hear, "Blockbuster video how can I help you?" after so many years. If you are wondering they carry The Evil Dead on Blu ray.
Unfortunately like many things from my childhood, there is a whole generation of people who won't get to enjoy this weekly ritual and probably wouldn't understand it if they had the chance to experience it. So while "Make it A Blockbuster night" has been replaced with "Netflix and chill" let this be a story of hope. With all things nostalgia being the current fad, and not a passing one at that, maybe we will see more video stores rise up from the ashes and a new generation can enjoy the "Blockbuster" experience.
