Alyssa Kollgaard has re-created that experience outside her Sun Valley home, where she has built and stocked a new Blockbuster “store.”
Using the familiar banner declaring its grand opening, her effort is part of a national Free Blockbuster movement in which neighbors can take — or leave — VHS tapes or DVDs.
The Free Blockbusters exist from El Paso to Canada, with aughts-sick movie lovers building them out of bookshelves or newspaper stands.
“We’re seeing a return to physical media,” says Kollgaard, who works in the entertainment industry. “There’s a nostalgia around the experience of going to a store and perusing as well as actually collecting so you’re not at the whim of the streaming platforms to actually watch films.”
She currently has about 75 films inside a two-tiered display case, including movies such as “Failure to Launch” and “Bridesmaids.” Each DVD has a sticker on the front that reads “Return to Little Free Blockbuster” along with Kollgaard’s address.
Today, only one Blockbuster store remains — in Bend, Ore.
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