Results: The Last Of Its Kind

Remember the day when Blockbuster Video was the place to get your Friday night movies, and even pick up your movie night snacks? The last holdout is in Bend, a city in central Oregon with an estimated population just shy of 100,000. It is known as The Last Blockbuster. At the height of its popularity, Blockbuster Video operated more than 9,000 stores worldwide and was a true haven for movie fans. Business peaked in 2004 but then the decline started. The rise of streaming services and a decline in the need for physical media spelled disaster for the company. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010, yet, a few stores managed to hang on for several years. Bend, Oregon's location remains the lone survivor. The Bend location, however, seems to have found success thanks to a mix of strong finances, loyal customers, and nostalgic tourists. Do you remember going to rent movies at Blockbuster, and do you miss the stores?

Open for business during the pandemic, the store is taking extra measures, such as enforcing social distancing guidelines with customers and limiting capacity. The store is currently offering curbside pickup, which is something many businesses have turned to in adapting to the situation at hand. The owner of the store, feels that the store will survive the pandemic, as it has survived despite all odds. And as far as the nostalgia factor, the store sees its fair share of travellers visiting the store to see "The Last Blockbuster" (maybe not so much now with the pandemic, but certainly in normal times). Would you ever visit a video store if you were a tourist to the area?

I remember when in our local mall, the Blockbuster store was a huge, anchor store, along with The Bay, Zellers and Sears department stores. Actually, there are a few fixtures of malls from that time, you hardly ever see in malls any longer. Does your local mall have any of these "absent" fixtures?

I remember as a young child, shopping at Eaton's Winnipeg downtown store, and having the elevator operator ask me what floor I was going to, and announcing all the departments located on that floor. I don't know when the last time I saw an elevator operator -- aside from the CN Tower in Toronto, or other tourist attractions. Do you remember seeing any of these services or professions in recent years?