It was brilliant to spot this old Orange Mobile shop sign while we were in Oswestry last Wednesday. A relic from another time.
We popped into a charity shop to escape the rain and while browsing spotted this old Orange mobile phone too. I used to sell mobiles from that era when I got my first job at Tandy back in 1996!
Orange launched in 1994 and merged with EE in 2010. The orange brand was continued until 2015 with existing customer plans ceasing in 2019.
Short of completing my Time Machine and heading back to 1999 I thought it was nigh on impossible to find an old Happy Shopper shop sign. I guess yesterday was my lucky day.
What a sign
I just happened to be wearing the right colour jacket for the photo too!
I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was a kid.
The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper stores were rebranded as Premier shops.
Happy Shopper does still exist, as both convenience stores and own brand food & drink products.
Do you remember Happy Shopper? Did you have a favourite Happy Shopper product?
Toys R Us ceased trading in the UK in April 2018. I worked there back in the year 2000.
It's always interesting to see signs from lost brands
This store is in Preston, Lancashire.
Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
Apart from one ghost sign on the side of the building where the raised letters have been removed it looks like it could've still been open.
Ghost signs
A busy car park
A colourful store front
Welcome to Toys R Us
This store is now closed
The entrance
A nice sign on the right of the building
At the exit
The exit doors
A piece of ephemera
Remnants
A branded electricity substation
There have been plans for the old Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre to be converted into a gym or a Sports Direct. But at the moment it's still there as something of a time capsule.
A look at the old Blockbuster Video store in Prescot, Merseyside.
The former Blockbuster Video shop on Church Street in Prescot is now Partyworld, but the old QuikDrop box is still in place with visible branding.
Another 7 years late fee
If you look closely you can also see that the original Blockbuster sign is underneath the Partyworld sign.
Another Lost Blockbuster. It's good to see the Partyworld shop trading in its place though
Can you see the blue and yellow branding?
The old and the new - we didn't know Prescot had links to Shakespeare before our trip there. The crane is part of the building work of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse
Quite a sight to see a Blockbuster Video QuikDrop box AND social distancing measures in the same place!
I wonder how many letters get posted in the QuikDrop box by mistake
In a normal year we'd have been to Ipswich and Felixstowe a number of times already by now. Felixstowe is probably our most visited seaside of all time, with the minigolf courses in the town our most revisited.
Sadly we've been there a grand total of zero times in 2020.
Looking online Felixstowe was once home to a Blockbuster Video store on Crescent Road.
When I saw the location of the former store I knew I'd seen it before.
Back in 2017 I was alerted to the fact there was a new American Diner in Felixstowe that served a 98% gluten free menu. Something that intrigued me as it's a strange thing to offer as everyone with Coeliac Disease needs 100% gluten free food!
Looking at that blog post I noticed a remnant of its time as a Blockbuster. Can you see what it is?
Look closely^
Yes, the original Blockbuster Video sign was still in place and the big torn ticket outline is clear to see!
My next mini 'tickable list' urban exploration challenge taps into my interest in ghost signs, shops, retail marketing and old brands. Ever since I found the remnants of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester last October I've been amazed to see the brand still has a lingering presence in other places too.
My old local Blockbuster was on Park Street in Luton, Bedfordshire and while it is long-gone I still remember the amount of time I spent in it when I was a student. I built up quite a collection of big-box ex-rental VHS tapes from there in the early noughties.
Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013 so it's amazing that there are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks almost seven years later.
Blockbuster Video and Express stores
Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video.
I remember going to the Ritz Video shop on the Peachcroft Estate in my home town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in the late 80's and early 90's. That store became a Blockbuster and I rented some classics from there back in the day. Check out this post from the excellent Abingdon Blog to see a photo of the shuttered shop in 2014.
Blockbuster Video Express stores were somewhat smaller than regular Blockbuster shops. Although all of the stores expanded to include video game rentals. Old signage for the games area has been clearly visible on both the Fallowfield and Colne stores I've been to.
In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.
Blockbuster Video Express in Colne
While looking online for nearby places to have a wander during the local lockdown here in the north west I stumbled upon the Blockbuster Video Express in Colne, Lancashire.
It's crazy to see the store in person as Colne's main street is quite a busy thoroughfare and the prominently positioned Blockbuster was the only empty shop we saw in that particular part of the town.
You should've seen the size of the fine for taking back Police Academy almost seven years late. And I hadn't rewound it
A view of the store from Market Street
The old QuikDrop box has been sealed and painted over
The box is still in place though
It's always nice to see old CRT TVs in place
A view of the right hand side of the store. The Häagen-Dazs fridge is still there
The left side, till area and games wall. Note the Coca-Cola and Ben & Jerry's fridges towards the back of the store too
The games wall
A letter about the Administration. That was a good printer and high quality paper to have lasted so long. The Blockbuster branded tape looks in great condition as well
Still sticky
Blockbuster Video Express in Westcliff on Sea
Last month my friend and fellow blogger Mark Routh kindly sent me some super snaps of the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff on Sea, Essex. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person next time I'm down that way.
The Last Blockbuster
The very last Blockbuster Video store in operation is in Bend, Oregon, USA. We were planning a holiday to Portland this year and would've called in to the store on the trip.
Hopefully it'll still be there when it's once again safe to travel to the USA.
