CORTLAND, N.Y. — Local millennial Jacob Horwitz felt nostalgic for a time when corporate rental giant Blockbuster moved into his town and destroyed his aunt and uncle’s independent video store, downtrodden sources report.
“I have fond memories of getting out of school on a Friday, scoping out the video games or seeing what horror films I could rent at Blockbuster, and witnessing my dad’s sister and her husband wallowing in their impending financial ruin because of it,” Horwitz said. “After Blockbuster moved in, it was only eight months later when Aunt Eve and Uncle Rodney were weeping at Christmas dinner saying that they were going to have to close down the Rent-a-Flick, which had been a local institution for decades. They were once so happy, a pillar in the community! But they never had ‘Pulp Fiction’ in stock so I guess they weren’t all that great.”
Former co-owner of the Rent-a-Flick video store had conflicting feelings on Blockbuster’s legacy.
“It’s really cool that video rental stores are now seen as a nostalgic gem that is meant to be treasured at all costs,” Aunt Eve Maygarden explained. “But do we really only need to focus on the national chains? Next we’re going to celebrate Olive Garden while ignoring that locally-owned Italian restaurant that actually cares about what they serve. It’s a shame that Blockbuster ultimately met the same demise as our store, but their legacy will live on in memes and those laminated cards that you still have deep within your junk drawer somewhere.”
Richard Galveston, a former manager at a Blockbuster store branch, seemed proud of the company’s accomplishments.
“I remember our company’s slogan like it was yesterday: ‘Be kind, rewind, and crush competitors into submission.’ Very easy to remember,” Galveston said. “We just had lower prices, better selection than the others, and lots and lots of corporate money to pump into advertising. Blockbuster’s plan was going accordingly and we were rolling membership fee revenue. That is, until streaming came about. Now I sell mattresses for a living.”
At press time, Horowitz fondly remembered a time in 2008 when his parent’s hopes and dreams were erased by the recession.