Take a look inside the last remaining blockbuster

soak in the nostalgia

Published 7 years ago in Wow

soak in the nostalgia

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Blockbuster is hanging on by one last thread. The shop in Bend, Oregon, is about to become the sole survivor of a once expansive franchise — Alaska closes its two remaining stores next week.

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The shop serves mainly as a place for people to rewind to simpler times. Perusing the towering aisles of endless entertainment. Begging your parents to let you buy some Milk Duds at the checkout counter. Trying to slip silently through the beaded curtains into the forbidden section (doubt they have one of those anymore).

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There was something magical about holding the movies in your hands and enjoying the colorful, diverse cover art. Scrolling through the selection on Netflix or the nearest Redbox stand just doesn’t feel the same.

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And that’s the main appeal of the final Blockbuster: it’s pure nostalgia. Most of the visitors are out-of-towners who simply want a peek inside for old time’s sake.

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“HOLY CRAP! A LIVING, BREATHING, GOD HONEST BLOCKBUSTER! My kids were clueless, my wife and I ecstatic…we took pictures, we wandered around in amazement at the sight…we took in the smell…YES…IT EVEN HAS THAT BLOCKBUSTER SMELL of popcorn and boxed candies and plastic cases.” says one Yelp review.

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Store Manager Sandi Harding credits loyal locals for keeping them afloat. “We have loyal customers, and because of them, we’ve been able to stay open longer than most other locally owned Blockbusters across America,” Harding told the local news station KBND earlier this year.

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It’s worth mentioning the owner of the store also owns their wing of the building, so they don’t have to pay rent. Despite the financial cushion, they are still struggling in an industry where streaming has completely taken over.

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The world is moving too fast for me. Crazy something as recent as Blockbuster is already being turned into what’s essentially a museum. I’m gonna buy an old pay phone and charge people $10 to stand inside and take a picture. People will act all “old-timey” while they’re in there, holding up the phone to their ear and saying, “Hello, Mister Jenkins?” then they’ll turn to their friend and say, “Can you believe the people who used these called each other mister and misses!?”