Blockbuster Down to One Store in All of the U.S.

The Blockbuster Video chain has one remaining store keeping it from going extinct as news comes that the last two stores in Alaska are set to close.

Once having dotted the landscape no matter where you went, the Blockbuster Video chain has been dying for many years now. While the majority of the stores closed years ago, there have been a few holdouts, especially in Alaska where Internet prices are high and have kept many from streaming.

Now the 50th state is losing its last two remaining outlets as Blockbuster Alaska announced via Facebook that it is closing its stores. The stores will close on July 16 for inventory and re-open on July 17 for their going out of business sales. The plan is for those closeout sales to run through the end of August.

This now brings the number of remaining Blockbuster Videos stores in the U.S. to one. The last outpost of this chain can be found in Bend, Oregon. Speaking with the Associated Press, general manager Sandi Harding indicated that the store has no plans to close.

Video rental stores of various chains and locally owned operations were once as common in the U.S. as gas stations it seemed. But as times changed, and companies such as Redbox and Netflix rose to prominence, the dedicated video rental store became less and less essential to consumers. With only a little over three decades of popularity, the video rental store will definitely be a piece of nostalgia in short order.