Blockbuster and other video rental stores may be a thing of the past, but one Blockbuster owner refuses to give it up. Recently, the last two stores in Alaska are shutting down. Both stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks are now closed for rentals but are re-opening on Tuesday for liquidation sales.
They will remain open until the end of August or until all of the merchandise is sold. Many Alaska residents were sad when they heard the news of the stores closing and started reminiscing about times spent renting movies there.
The stores still had to close due to lease price increases even after a publicity stunt by John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. He sent the Anchorage store a jockstrap that was worn by Russell Crowe in the movie Cinderella Man. For a while, it did ramp up business but not enough to keep the store afloat.
The famous jockstrap will now likely be sent to Alan Payne who lives near Austin, Texas. He is the franchise owner of Blockbuster.
After both Alaska locations are closed, there will be one Blockbuster left in Bend, Oregon.
As people realize that this is the only Blockbuster left, the store expects more people to visit just for the nostalgia factor. We wonder how long the Oregon location will stay standing as the last Blockbuster location in the United States.
With more and more Internet movie streaming options, people are opting to find movies online or through their Smart TVs instead of renting them. Do you miss actually going out and picking movies at the store or do you love the convenience of finding and renting movies on your TV?
Do you remember going to Blockbuster? What were your favorite memories of renting movies there?
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