Last Blockbuster Video Store in Bend, Oregon

The last Blockbuster, located in Bend, Oregon, is more than just a video rental store, it’s a nostalgic time capsule and a cultural icon. As the final remaining store of what was once a global franchise with over 9,000 locations, the Bend Blockbuster has become a symbol of a bygone era, where browsing physical shelves for Friday night movies was a cherished ritual.

This location, still operational as of 2025, owes its survival to a loyal local community, a savvy business strategy, and a wave of pop culture interest. Owned by Sandi Harding, often referred to as the "Blockbuster Mom," the store retains much of its original charm; blue and yellow signage, shelves stacked with DVDs and Blu-rays, and a staff committed to keeping the experience alive. In a world dominated by streaming services, the Bend Blockbuster offers a rare tactile experience. Visitors can hold a movie case in their hands, chat with staff for recommendations, and revel in the simplicity of physical media.

The store has embraced its unique position in pop culture. It has become a tourist destination, selling exclusive Blockbuster-branded merchandise and memorabilia. In 2020, it even hosted a one-night-only Airbnb sleepover, allowing fans to camp out in the store surrounded by classic films and '90s nostalgia.

The story of the last Blockbuster has been captured in the 2020 documentary The Last Blockbuster, further boosting its fame and underscoring its emotional pull. For many, it represents more than a video store. It’s a symbol of community, connection, and the joy of simpler times. As long as people continue to visit, rent, and remember, the Bend Blockbuster stands as a living monument to the golden age of movie rentals.

I Found A Vintage Betamax Player

This week I scored a vintage Betamax player at the thrift shop. I've never owned any Betamax. I've never played any Betamax. But now, I suppose I technically could. Like many of the old school electronics I've picked up this year, it's now found a home on my vintage media wall. 

Betamax, developed by Sony and released in 1975, was one of the first home video cassette formats, sparking a fierce format war with rival VHS (Video Home System), developed by JVC. Initially praised for its superior video quality and smaller cassette size, Betamax was a technological breakthrough that allowed consumers to record television programs and watch pre-recorded content at home—a revolutionary concept at the time.

Despite its early lead in the market and technical advantages, Betamax lost the format war to VHS for several key reasons. VHS offered longer recording times—initially two hours, compared to Betamax’s one hour—which better suited consumer needs for recording entire movies or sports events. JVC also licensed the VHS format more freely, allowing multiple manufacturers to produce compatible machines and tapes, resulting in lower prices and broader availability. Sony, by contrast, kept Betamax more proprietary, limiting its reach.

By the mid-1980s, VHS had emerged as the dominant home video format, and Betamax began to fade. Sony eventually started producing VHS players in 1988, acknowledging the shift in consumer preference. However, Betamax tapes and players continued to be produced in limited quantities for specific markets until Sony officially discontinued the format in 2016.

Today, Betamax is remembered as a cautionary tale of how technical superiority doesn’t always guarantee market success. It holds a cult status among vintage tech collectors and film historians. The Betamax vs. VHS battle is often cited in business and media studies as a classic example of how market strategy, licensing, and consumer convenience can outweigh innovation.

Though obsolete, Betamax’s legacy lives on as a pioneer of home video technology, paving the way for the way we consume media today. It represents a significant chapter in the evolution of entertainment and media formats.

Filming the Saamis Teepee on VHS Camcorder

Last night I decided to finally test out the 1985, shoulder-mounted, ONCE state-of-the-art VHS camcorder that I picked up earlier this year. Who needs 4K footage when you can shoot foggy 360p in a really cumbersome and inconvenient way? 

Shoutout to anyone who actually captured home videos with one of these things back in the day. You really had to want to document those memories to lug one of these beasts around.

I imagine this would've been the quality of footage you would've captured when the Saamis Teepee first opened back in 1991. Sorry it's so shakey, but need I remind you, it's really difficult to see what you're filming through a tiny black and white viewfinder that cuts out half the time.

VHS / Video Store Stickers

I don't quite know why collecting VHS tapes is tickling my brain at the moment, but this hobby is now costing me upwards of $8 a month lol. The video store aesthetic is fully in the sweet spot of being gone just long enough to feel special, but still ordinary enough to be dirt cheap. Anyway, here are some of my video store VHS stickers from my latest haul.

Hitachi VM-2000A VHS Movie Camera

I just added some serious Cold War era tech to my arsenal of movie-making equipment with this vintage Hitachi VM-2000A VHS movie camera. Released the same year as Back to the Future and weighing as much as a Buick, this Hitachi camcorder comes with state of the art auto-focus technology and VCR compatibility.

I've also been adding unopened brands of blank VHS tapes to my collection during my province-wide thrift hunts, which might further prove that this "vintage media wall" I've been building really is (at least in part) just a big art installation. Do you remember ever seeing these giant VHS cameras in the wild? This one still had a tape with a little league game from 1991 in it.