Showing posts with label VHS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VHS. Show all posts

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Video Store Day 2024

Today is Video Store Day.


Do you still have a video store near you?

International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.

This year is the 14th Annual International Independent Video Store Day.

By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:

Unfortunately B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton closed in July this year. We visited that particular video shop on Video Shop Day in 2020!

It's nice to see there are still some businesses active in the sector though!

Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk - August 2024
Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, August 2024

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those I've snapped over the years include:

Find out more about the event on the International Independent Video Store Day website.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

A visit to the 'Free Blockbuster' in Las Vegas.


Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

Emily made a visit to the Free Blockbuster 'pop up' video and DVD exchange/library/dispenser at Sohn vintage shop on her recent trip to Las Vegas.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

The first Free Blockbuster was created in 2019 and since then more have been created in the USA, Canada, and one in the UK.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

It's been fun following the Free Blockbuster movement's journey, and it'll be interesting to see where they appear next.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

Emily took some DVDs from our collection and swapped them out for three wrestling VHS tapes! She managed to get a Free Blockbuster sticker and one for Sohn too.

Wrestling VHS video tapes from Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn
Wrestling goodness from the USA and Japan!

A happy customer of Free Blockbuster Las Vegas and Sohn
A happy customer of Free Blockbuster Las Vegas and Sohn

Hopefully I'll get to visit Las Vegas again in the future. It'd be superb to see the Free Blockbuster stall in person - and see what's new there to swap. The people at the store also showed Emily the vintage wrestling t-shirts they had in stock.

Sohn vintage store in Las Vegas

Check out the Sohn and Free Blockbuster websites for more information. And check out Free Blockbuster Las Vegas on Instagram.


A Free Blockbuster Las Vegas sticker

As well as being a wrestling fan I'm a fan of ALF and Emily bought a vintage ALF keyring and badge for my collection at Sohn!

An ALF keyring, badge, and a Sohn sticker
An ALF keyring, badge, and a Sohn sticker

Sohn seen from across the street in the Las Vegas heat!
Sohn seen from across the street in the Las Vegas heat!

Check out the blog posts about our travels to former Blockbuster video shops.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

International Independent Video Store Day 2024

This year is the 14th Annual International Independent Video Store Day.


International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.

Do you still have a video store near you?

By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:

Unfortunately B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton closed in July this year. We visited that particular video shop on Video Shop Day in 2020!

It's nice to see there are still some businesses active in the sector though!

Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk - August 2024
Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, August 2024

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those I've snapped over the years include:

Find out more about the event on the International Independent Video Store Day website.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Video Store Day 2022

Today is Video Store Day.


Do you still have a video store near you?

International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.

It's always interesting finding lost shops and old signs on my travels and I recently drove past this former video rental shop at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham!

Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham

There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.


Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever
On Video Store Day in 2020 we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a video rental shop in Little Lever, Bolton

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester

A new video shop-themed bar is opening in Manchester's Northern Quarter.


BLOCKBUSTERS NQ - a video shop-themed bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter
A new sight to see on Oldham Street

We were excited to hear that a new video store-themed bar is opening up in the Northern Quarter in Manchester city centre.

So we had to go along for a look.

Blockbusters NQ can be found on Oldham Street and according to the signs on the windows it is COMING SOON.

BLOCKBUSTERS NQ - a video shop-themed bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter
BLOCKBUSTERS NQ - COMING SOON

We're looking forward to checking it out when it opens.

BLOCKBUSTERS NQ - a video shop-themed bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter
The walls and counter of the bar look brilliant already - we can't wait to see what it'll look like when the installation is completed

Blockbuster Video

We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.

The first of the old Blockbuster locations we found was also in Manchester, just up the road from us at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Speakeasies

Blockbusters NQ looks like a cool and nostalgic speakeasy and while we were taking a look at the store the signs were getting some interest from passers-by.

It'll be a fun new speakeasy for us to visit when it opens.

BLOCKBUSTERS NQ - a video shop-themed bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter
It'll be great to see what the full signage will look like

Find out more

Give the Blockbusters NQ Instagram account a follow for more information on the bar.

Monday, June 07, 2021

National VCR Day

Today is National VCR Day.


Do you still own or use a Video Cassette Recorder? I do.

There are still some great and rare films and programmes that can only be seen on video tapes these days, so I'm glad we've still got our TV/Video combination set.

Over the last year or so we've been documenting the remains of Blockbuster Video stores in the UK - visiting 19 of the former video shop locations so far.

The QuikDrop box on the old Blockbuster Video store in Southampton
The QuikDrop box on the old Blockbuster Video store in Southampton


We were also lucky to find a video shop still operating and renting out tapes last year! It's in Little Lever, Bolton.

Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever

Saturday, December 05, 2020

Hot tapes

You can't get burnt at that price.

VHS video tapes in a Stockport charity shop

Tuesday, November 03, 2020

A video rental shop in 2020

Finding a video shop on Video Shop Day 2020.

Last month we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a video rental shop in Little Lever, Bolton. Yes, video as in VHS!

B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever

The day we called in was Video Shop Day! What are the odds?

The old-school video rental shop was fully stocked with VHS tapes. I haven't seen anything like it for years.

They did also have DVDs.

What a marvellous time capsule of another era.

You can find B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton.