A Moment of Silence for Blockbuster Video

Today my wife and I checked out a sale at a local business where new and used DVDs were only a dollar each. If it sounds like a bad idea, it most certainly was; I'm embarrassed to say how many movies we bought. But we couldn't say no to such a great price!

No regrets.

Man, there was so much good stuff at this place. And I couldn't help but get a bit nostalgic digging through stacks of movies that came out while I was growing up. These were images of my childhood.

But it was more than just the movies I remembered fondly. Some of the DVDs had Blockbuster labels, too, and that really took me back.

Blockbuster Video was a staple of my weekends all through elementary school. Every Friday (okay, maybe not every Friday, but that's how I remember it), my dad took my siblings and me out to the Blockbuster by my school to rent movies and video games to enjoy for the coming week. We made popcorn, sometimes ordered pizza, and stayed up late together. It was such a little thing, but those Friday nights really brought us close to one another.

So many of my happy childhood memories started with Blockbuster. And while I do appreciate the new convenience of online movie streaming, for me, nothing can replace the fun of driving to the video store, browsing shelves, and making an event out of family movie night.

I miss it.

A moment of silence, please.
Image credit: Wikipedia

But I'm glad that now I have some relics to remind me of the good old days. And someday, I'll share the adventurous tale of Blockbuster Video with my terrified grandchildren--just like this bold grandfather: