Bend, Oregon: The Last Blockbuster

You might be wondering, is it worth taking a trip to the last Blockbuster in Bend?

That is a personal question that you can probably only answer for yourself, but we enjoyed our trip.  

Some of that may just be whether you have a good crew with whom you can enjoy a road trip. If you run out of snacks on the way, you can re-stock for the return trip.

Of course there is plenty to do in Bend, as covered last week, and there are some good reasons for having video rental available in a place where people are vacationing. I still think Wicked Internet in Port Douglas was genius for its time.

So maybe you go to Bend for a day of horseback riding or climbing or something, and then you go to the video store, pick something out, settle in for the night.

We did not stay, but it was still a good time. For one thing, just driving in and seeing it was next to a Papa Murphy's felt perfect. Okay, back in our day it was a Papa Aldo's, but nonetheless!

Then here was that flood of nostalgia... the walls of videos, and screens playing movies you could potentially choose (while we were there it was Blast From the Past), and the snacks. This one does have way more in the way of souvenirs. Some of them are pretty fun.

Speaking of watching movies, one thing we did to enhance our appreciation was watching the documentary The Last Blockbuster (2020).

It gave some interesting background, providing some interesting food for thought on how if corporate consolidation was a part of what made this particular location successful, it was also part of what drained the cash flow by diverting it to other businesses and making the chain expire. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8704802/reference/

It also spoke to many famous (or at least semi-famous) people who had worked at Blockbuster, and you could see how the nostalgia was a powerful force.

One thing that was interesting was seeing long-term manager Sandi Harding purchasing DVDs at Target and candy at Costco. Corporate still licenses the name, but has no stream sending out supplies. Everything in that store came from that store's workforce making it happen, including the crocheted beanies.

Well, the Russell Crowe memorabilia came from John Oliver, via the no longer there Anchorage, Alaska store, but still, the Bend store had to arrange that.

COVID: Masking is not well-observed, which appeared to be pretty true of Bend in general, perhaps because they spend so much time outside.

Accessibility: Navigating the store should not be bad, but you may need help with the entry doors. Also it is worth noting that the store does not have an available restroom, which may matter more if you drove three hours to get there. There are many fast food restaurants in the area, including a Carl's Jr. just across the street.

My big regret was not having any change to try the foosball game. 

I don't know if there will be a next time, but I hope the store will remain long enough that there is a possibility. It means a lot of a lot of people.

https://bendblockbuster.com/