1. Blockbuster
Long before streaming took over, Blockbuster was the ultimate destination for anyone looking to have fun while staying in on a Friday night. With aisles of VHS tapes and later DVDs, this ’90s store was a haven for movie lovers, including me.
I was in my early 20s then, and I had the time of my life with my college girlfriends. We didn’t always have money to go out, so the ritual of browsing, picking the perfect flick, and grabbing some cheesy popcorn was everything we needed for a budget-friendly weekend start.
Blockbuster was such a jam that it had more than 9,000 stores worldwide at its peak. While I love technology and staying up to date, I must admit that I’m quite sad I won’t get to experience this again.
Some poor business decisions, paired with the rise of digital streaming, led to Blockbuster’s decline, with the last corporate-owned store shutting its doors in 2014. Nowadays, there’s only one franchised store left. You can find it in Bend, Oregon, where it serves as a fabulous and nostalgic reminder of one of the best eras of our lives.
