The last Blockbuster video store in the country happens to be in Bend, Oregon — and film reporter and critic Kevin McCarthy visited that store for Fox News recently. The journey is a clear reminder why brick-and-mortar rental stores were so special when they were around.
Due to the rise of digital streaming services, the others have shuddered and closed their doors. There were two other Blockbusters keeping up the fight in Alaska, but both stores announced in July that they’re closing.
McCarthy, reporting for “Fox & Friends First,” said visiting the Oregon store was like going back in time.
“When I walked in here for the first time, it was genuinely a flashback to my childhood,” he said.
He went on to call Blockbuster a “second home” and remembered riding his bike to the store from his own house to rent films like “T2: Judgement Day.”
Two of the films he actually rented from the store he’d never returned: “The Sandlot” and “True Romance.” McCarthy made sure to return both videos when he entered the Oregon store.
The single store now is able to stay in existence because it signed a licensing agreement when Dish Network bought the now-defunct Blockbuster video. As long as the Oregon shop can keep paying its bills, it can continue keeping the Blockbuster name alive.
McCarthy spent part of the day working in the store and reminiscing over what was so special about actually having to physically search for the movie one wants in a physical location.
When McCarthy tried to rent “T2” for nostalgia’s sake, he noticed it was out. This led to a phone call and then a meeting with the man who had rented the film, who went on to tell McCarthy that seeing “T2” was one of his best memories with his father — and that Blockbuster holds a special place in his heart because of it.
Watch McCarthy’s full report on the last Blockbuster in America below:
.@KevinMcCarthyTV visits the last Blockbuster video store. pic.twitter.com/UzMfEeB2h0
— Fox & Friends First (@FoxFriendsFirst) August 16, 2018
And to see more on the Oregon store, check this video out:
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