How the Last Blockbuster Store Became a Tourist Destination
*Morgan Freeman narrator voice.* On planet Earth there was thought to be no more Blockbusters left in the entire universe, but alas we we're wrong! It has since been discovered that one Blockbuster remains in the land. This is the story of the last Blockbuster store. Alright, slight monologue over. If you haven't already guessed, the topic of conversation today is Blockbuster—the very last remaining Blockbuster to be exact. If you are a product of the Blockbuster era, then you are already more than aware of what it represented—especially to those who were around during the 1990s and 2000s. If you weren't around while Blockbuster was in it's heyday, allow us to explain what is was like.
The hype was very much real. Blockbuster wasn't just the place that you went to rent the latest movie releases and video games. It was one of the Friday and Saturday night hangout spots (especially for teens who weren't old enough to get into clubs yet). People went there to chill and kick it, sometimes music would be playing, and you could buy drinks and snacks too. When you were finally done hanging out, you would rent whatever movies and games you wanted, and then head back to the crib.
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Nothing lasts forever, and sadly Blockbuster's demise was one that's an entirely different topic for an entirely different article. With that said, there's one remaining Blockbuster still standing, and we're taking a look at where's it's at and how you can potentially visit if you happen to be in the area.
Are There Any Blockbusters Still Open?
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If you don't know the answer to this by now, then clearly you've been in the back of the classroom not paying attention. We'll say it one more time and then you're on your own. There is one Blockbuster left in the USA. One. Numero uno. That one store is all that we have left of the franchise other than memories of course, and it now considered to be a tourist attraction. Let's take a look at it below.
The History of Blockbuster
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We covered this a bit earlier, but Blockbuster's history is an interesting one. It's origin's date back to the late 1970s when future founder David Cook began toying with the idea of a video store. It was Cook's wife's dream of opening a video shop, and Cook used the profits made from selling an unsuccessful business venture to buy into a local video store in Dallas, Texas called Video Works. All was going well until Cook wanted to redecorate the store's interior and was told no. Unsatisfied with that answer, Cook left Video Works, and opened his own video store in 1985 called, you guessed it, Blockbuster.
The Demise of Blockbuster
As for the demise of Blockbuster, many point to Netflix being the major player in basically ending the franchise which is true, but in my opinion I think Redbox played a part in that as well. In fact, it could be argued that Redbox threw the lob for Netflix to catch—especially with positioning themselves outside of stores and restaurants. Redbox was convenient the way vending machines outside of stores are, and by the time the late 2000s came around, you pretty much only went to a video rental store if you couldn't find it at a Redbox (at least this was my experience). By the time Netflix and other streaming services began to rise in the early 2010s, it was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for all video rentals stores, not just Blockbuster.
It's definitely on our bucket list to check out the last ever Blockbuster. Is it on yours?
