Looks like it’s a Netflix Nation. This Montclair Blockbuster store, in the CVS Plaza at Claremont Ave & Pine Street, is closing. It has been a popular destination for moms and dads, since the nineties. Back then, on a rainy Saturday, I’d take the kids to Blockbuster to rent video games, they’d come home with a variety and be out of my hair for the day. Buying a video game was a big budget item in those days.
When I needed some personal time, I’d head over there to browse titles. Older movies were sold at three for $10. I have shelves & shelves of DVDs. I can’t throw them out, and can’t give them away. I stopped going to Blockbuster three years ago when my son gave me a Netflix subscription for my birthday. I can browse through an infinite selection of movies, TV shows and documentaries and play them immediately on my giant TV. Instant gratification! The way of the 21st century.
Where/how do you get your home entertainment? Will you miss this store?
I remember well the local indy stores too. Just what happens if the internet crashes? The DVD collection might come in handy, and a ty to TCM for restoring a lot of old gems.
I just pop on the Golf Channel to get an update on our Presidents latest round of golf. I hear they might start to give hourly updates like Sports Center. Sometimes I switch over to ESPN to see how he’s making out with his NCAA pool.
How long before it becomes a Chipotle?
Netflix for me. But I still have my old pre-Blue Ray VCR because there are ceratin old classics that are not available on DVD yet.
As for Blockbuster, my biggest beef with them was that they often had people working there who were not really film buffs. You’d ask them a question about an movie and they’d look at you as if you had two heads.
In the olden days in Montclair, there was a great mom-and-pop video store that was a owned by a guy who was VERY knowledgable about film and his recommendations were always right on.
and was on Watchung ave. I bet Mrs Martta
and there’s nothing behind the curtian lol
Geez herbeverschmel that was hilarious. I’m going to save that so I can read it to myself later and laugh once again…please review your joke before posting.
The only thing I didn’t like about that Blockbuster was the Subway bread smell that would make its way through the walls.
Meh. Blockbuster was dying as a company at least as far back as 2000 when I was managing the Parsippany store and privy to all sorts of fun internal memos.
They invested heavily in laser disc, were the last big chain to embrace DVD, thought Netflix and the internet were fads not to be concerned with and backed HD DVD instead of blu ray.
My surprise doesn’t come from their closing so much as how long Viacom let them limp along.
wow Mike, been fly on the wall too.
Yeah Chris your right…. in my rush and failed effort to be the first poster I was very sloppy. sorry.
I never went to this Blockbuster, but I used to the LOVE the Blockbuster in Cedar Grove in the Pilgrim Shopping Center. When I was young my favorite thing for me and my brother was to have our mom take us there and spend as much time as possible, browsing movies and games, and getting as much as we could. At that time (late 90s) my biggest concern was could I get one move and one game, or would I have to choose one. To be young again.
that’s ok, herbeverschmel. it was such an uproarious knee slapper of an email that i can understand your rush to get it up and share it with everyone here.
The one on Watchung, was that Super Video? I remember them all. Curry Home Video was great. They had to look your membership up in a 3 ring binder and would charge you if you didnt rewind the tape! I called the Elevation burger site the Palmer Video building until nobody knew what I was talking about! I use Netflix and stream it straight through my Blu Ray and Xfinity On Demand for the newer movies
Town Video was the best. They put movies out for rent a few days before they were supposed to release them.
“Where/how do you get your home entertainment?”
Do we have to answer that? Honestly?
I listen to all my old 8-tracks. Of course I have to park the 1983 Olds by the back window so I can hear them. And with the motor running, it can get a little smoggy. I also have a reel-to-reel tape deck, but the only tapes I have for that are old studio masters of Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and other old dead jazz guys. Kind of like my RCA Red Label and Columbia Master Works collection of 78′s and vinyl LPs with all that old clasical stuff, written by old dead guys, too. Then, if all else fails, and I can’t seem to bring up a 3-D movie on my 17″ B&W TV, I have several rooms full of shelves holding a couple of thousand of these quaint entertainment devices called books. I have read all of them at least once, but even the sixth re-reading of a so-so book beats just about anything on TV today. Even if the show is in color.
Well, time for the 2nd martinus then off to the disco. Later, gators…
Thats what this town needs, a good disco!
I had the misfortune of working for a company acquired by BB when it was owned by the megalomaniacal Wayne Huizenga — it was breathtaking to observe their amazing combination of arrogance and ignorance. Wayne is long gone – he sold out the company for billions in the 90′s, but his legacy lives on.
I feel sorry for the working stiffs who will lose their jobs, but don’t have mega-bucks to cushion their fall.