Small Business Spotlight: "The Last Blockbuster" prevails amid streaming
There are many people on Earth today that still remember the thrill of heading out to your local video store to find the perfect piece of entertainment for the night ahead.
Perusing the shelves of a Blockbuster or local video shop was half the excitement when it came to movie night, and a town in Oregon is still living that dream. Compare that to the dreadful act of scrolling endlessly through Netflix subsections, and things were likely better back in the day.
Unable to be brought to its knees through the worldwide closures of Blockbusters, and the invasion of streaming services across the map, “The Last Blockbuster” in Bend, Oregon, is a staple in the neighborhood.
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To combat the recent shift in the economy, the Bend Blockbuster has created a curbside pick-up system that allows patrons to call ahead and choose what they would like to pick up. In addition, they have guidelines in place that keep the shelf spotters safe and physically distant.
Part of their success has been capitalizing on the nostalgia of the brand name. The Bend Blockbuster sells various kinds of Blockbuster merch through its website, and continues to celebrate the traditions cemented by the once flourishing franchise.
“In the age of Netflix and other digital streaming platforms, Harding [the owner] credits her storeās success to both local support and Bendās budding tourism industry,” reads the website.
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Traditional methods of ingesting media and entertainment may have shifted to a platform comprising of digital delivery services, but there is still hope for the renters, the bin busters, the new release magnets, at this very special video store.
Bend Blockbuster
Address: 211 NE Revere Avenue, Bend, Oregon
Phone: 541-385-9111
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