Nostalgia rewind

Jan. 3—DODGE CITY — With the rise of streaming services and on-demand entertainment, younger readers might find the idea of video rental stores a difficult concept to grasp. The rest of us, however, are likely to feel the pangs of nostalgia as we remember the magic of combing the aisles of the nearest Blockbuster and carefully curating the weekend's catalog of movies. Once a behemoth in the home-entertainment business, the legacy of Blockbuster has now dwindled to one single store in Bend, Oregon. However, a new movement, FreeBlockbuster — which has recently made its way to Cullman County — is looking to put a new twist on the classic experience.

John and Kelsey Riendeau had already been compiling an extensive collection of movies — with an emphasis on VHS tapes — long before they decided to install a FreeBlockbuster stand outside of their business, Dodge City Tattoo Company, in October. John said he typically purchases large lots of movies off Facebook Marketplace, at times purchasing several thousand tapes at once. It was during one such exchange that the couple first became aware of the organization.

"We've got a huge collection of VHS horror movies," John said. "How we found out about it [Free Blockbuster] was just through Facebook. I was going through Marketplace and saw this guy had a good bit of VHS for sale, so I went and met up with him. He had one outside of his home in his neighborhood in Decatur. He said people would just bring a bunch of stuff all the time."

While FreeBlockbuster does offer the option to purchase a ready-to-install box, complete with several decals, the majority of those who decide to join the movement do so by creating their own personalized versions. In fact, the website encourages this, suggesting volunteers use their imaginations to find something which fits in with their individual communities.

The Riendeaus have utilized an abandoned real estate box outfitted with several tattoo inspired stickers.

FreeBlockbuster draws inspiration from a similar organization by utilizing the Little Free Library's honor-system approach. Its website states the mission of the project is to "combat the myth of scarcity by providing free entertainment to as many people as possible. Using this "take a movie, leave a movie approach" the project has now grown from a single stand in Southern California — installed in 2019 — to an international movement within just a few short years. Of course, it didn't hurt when the project received a boost in visibility after Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker tweeted his support along with a picture of him placing several of his own VHS tapes into a nearby box.

John said he believes the popularity of the program is also a testament to people's desire to return to a more tactile experience and in the case of more rural areas like Dodge City, the lack of high-speed internet access. He also said, despite the convenience of streaming platforms, he felt a reluctancy for media to be exclusively digital.

"I hate politics, so without getting into all of that there are these culture wars going on right now and if you just put everything on streaming, well, who dictates what is and isn't appropriate," John said. "The other thing is that even if you buy something on a streaming service, you don't actually own it."

While the couple does contribute from their own personal collection of VHS to the items available in their stand, those without a VCR shouldn't be deterred from dropping in to see what's available. Kelsey said in the few months since they joined the project, she has seen a wide range of contributions which run the gamut of formats as well as genres.

Currently the location has VHS, DVDs and Blurays which include superhero blockbusters, rom-coms, children's movies and of course a healthy dose of horror. John said he will also frequently find documentaries and even the occasional home-video of historic college football games.

John also said he welcomes donations for anyone looking to offload their unused collection of movies. He said the best way to do so is to visit Dodge City Tattoo Company at 501 AL-69 suite e, Hanceville, during business hours. However, he saw no issue with leaving a box in front of the shop after hours for those who might be unable to arrive before closing.