And Then There Was One. . .
 

Meaning one Blockbuster Video store will still be open in the U.S., and that would be in Bend, Oregon. It was announced a few days ago that the two Blockbuster stores in Alaska are closing by the end of August.

Remember: "Be kind, rewind"? Standing in line waiting to check out your rental? At its peak Blockbuster Video had 9,000 stores in the U.S.

I used to often walk a mile or so in heavy snow and very low temperatures to get some videos at a Mom and Pop video store in Minneapolis in 1989-1991. Or in high humidity and 90 degree weather.

Did not have a car in the Twin Cities. Just used the bus system or had my girlfriend/roommate drive me around.

Getting back to the Villages....

I remember how friendly and knowledgeable Charlotte and John were here in the Villages at the Blockbuster in Lady Lake in Spanish Plaines. They closed in 2011. I wrote about it on Talk of the Villages. https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...closing-36041/

First Watch went in where the Blockbusters was. Find a First Watch | First Watch

At one time there were 3 Blockbuster stores within 3 miles of my home in Schaumburg. One by one they went away. The last one closed probably around 2011 or 2012.

Hopefully I don't have any Blockbuster DVD's or VHS tapes hiding somewhere in my house that I forgot to return. By now I will have accumulated a lot of late fees. :)

I still prefer to watch movies on DVD, and get them for free at the library.

Back then we lived in a new development in the Pine Barrens of south Jersey. We didn't have garbage pick-up or cable tv. I ran a cable to my neighbors house. Whenever we rented a movie or they rented a movie for $5, which was pretty often I called my neighbor and told him when I was playing the movie and visa versa. With splitters at each end of the cable it was a BOGO.

Our first vcr was a reconditioned panasonic that cost $350. That's enough for 3 years of Netflix at today's prices.

Next generation?
Currently evolving.
Direct TV offering Direct now. No hardware required!!

Multitude of streaming options available today. As the user friendliness increases and the advent of ease of use DVR for recording, it is the direction we are all headed.

The cable and satellite providers are keenly aware....Direct Now is a step ahead of the competition.

I bought my first VCR around 1985 at Marshall Fields in Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, IL I think I paid about $400 for it - yikes! Had to decide between VHS or Betamax. My coworkers recommended buying VHS. My roommates and I had no idea how to hook up the VCR. Luckily one of my roommate's boyfriend came to the rescue and connected the VCR.

In the early days of Blockbuster, it was a family bonding ritual for us to jump in the car directly after dinner, head to the store and watch everyone wander over to their favorite 'section'...lobbying for the movie they wanted to see.

After finally agreeing on a movie that was appropriate for all, going home, making some popcorn and then watching as a family...are some great memories. :thumbup:

I walked to a Mom and Pop video store in Itasca, IL in the autumn of 1994 when I was there taking care of my Uncle Bill before he could get in the nursing home a few hundred feet away from their house.

We went to a few movies in Schaumburg as well as to a few of the restaurants in that mall.

Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall is still there, but I rarely shop there so I can save money to buy a house in The Villages one day. :).

The area near the mall has changed quite a bit. I doubt if any of the restaurants in the mall from 1994 are still there. The movie theater is no longer inside Woodfield Mall, but across the street in another mall called Streets of Woodfield. Non-matinee/evening prices are $14.57 for adults, $12.95 for seniors age 60 and up. So bring your big wallet or purse if you want to see a non-matinee/evening movie in Schaumburg. :(

The movie theaters in The Villages are a bargain.

You need to get to TV ASAP! You will raise the collective IQ and Nice factor dramatically. :ho::

:agree:


If it were in my power, I can think of a number of people I would exchange in a heartbeat...to get her here sooner. :thumbup:

I think I'm OK with nice but I sure would be grateful if they could raise my IQ.

Before I move to The Villages I must first find the DVD's I never returned to Blockbuster and return them ASAP. I think my cat watches the DVD's when I go to work, and then she hides them when she hears my car pull into the garage. :smiley:

I will be back end of August/early September for a visit...no hurricane this year I hope.

The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986) - Rotten Tomatoes

Maybe this one?

I recall renting the Steven King series The Stand from the Mom and Pop video store in Itasca when I was there in the Fall of 1994. There were several of these DVDs so I had to go back a number of times.