At a time when the pandemic has warped our sense of time, making days seem like weeks, the last Blockbuster Video on earth is offering a nostalgia trip that any ‘90s kid would kill for.
It's been well documented that the last Blockbuster Video store operates in Bend, Oregon serving as a final reminder of the halcyon days of using physical media to consume television and movies. Now that same Blockbuster is offering up its store on AirBnB as a limited-time pandemic getaway for three nights in September. The AirBnB will open up for reservations on August 17 at 1 p.m. PST and will only be bookable for residents of Deschutes County. For those lucky enough to snag a reservation, it will only cost them $4 which was the cost of renting a movie in the early ‘90s.
Sandi Harding, store manager at the Bend Blockbuster location, created the listing and is offering three one-night reservations on September 18, 19 and 20, each one for up to four people. The package includes a free run of the entire store and its video library including a living room space constructed inside the store complete with CRT television, fold out couch bed, bean bag chairs and a working VHS player.
The whole experience is billed as a nostalgia trip invoking all the best bits of ‘90s family life. The living room constructed in store and the dream of having an entire library of movies at your disposal without the inconvenience of traveling and worrying about late fees. The only thing you need to supply, as the AirBnB listing says, is the two-liter Pepsi before popping in a movie (hopefully someone was kind enough to rewind).
The entire store will be cleaned in accordance with Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol which incorporates recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. Also, all guests will be provided with a face coverings, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.
While the AirBnB is only a limited time event, Blockbuster customers will get to peruse the constructed living room during store hours after it is over. A portion of proceeds from this event will also be donated to the Humane Society of Central Oregon.
Source: Airbnb