Movie lover brings his own Blockbuster to small neighborhood
By Jackson Stoever
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PLATTSBURGH, New York (WPTZ) — One Plattsburgh resident is sharing his love for cinema with the help of familiar branding, all part of a nationwide effort to bring nostalgia back to your living room.
Steve Ouellette loves movies. He has hundreds of DVDs and VHS tapes in his collection.
“We may need a new house if he expands his collection,” his wife, Michelle, said jokingly.
Steve has fond memories of wandering through the aisles at the old Blockbuster video store on Smithfield Boulevard before it closed in 2012.
“There’s something to the tactile feel of seeing it in person,” Steve said. “People like to go shopping instead of just clicking a button. It’s the same with video.”
More than a decade later, Steve has joined in on a national effort to bring Blockbuster back to Plattsburgh in his own front yard.
The concept is simple: you take a DVD, and then leave one behind for the next person.
There are other pop-up locations like this one in our region, including southern Vermont, in Ludlow and Poultney.
It’s a chance for Steve to revisit the classics and bring back an era of cinema that was lost in what is now an age of streaming.
“So many people my age and younger grew up going to Blockbuster, the local video store. It was a big deal, picking up the movie, bringing it home, paying late fees; that’s all gone now,” Steve said.
Steve’s pet project is also a breath of fresh air for his wife, Michelle, who is more of a bookworm than a movie buff. She offers paperbacks for when you need a break from the big screen.
“It’s really cool to see parents walking their kids down the street and peeking at the books. I think there’s videos for kids too, but I don’t pay much attention to that,” Michelle said, laughing.
The pop-up Blockbuster can be found at their home on Sanborn Avenue. Steve said he hopes this concept catches on with others.
“I would love if someone from Burlington sees this,” said Steve. “Someone over in Burlington should start one of these.”
More Blockbuster locations can be found online. In the meantime, Steve says he is still accepting movies to help grow the collection available to the community.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.
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