--- title: An Inside Look at the World's Last Blockbuster description: In less than a month, there will officially only be one Blockbuster store left in the entire world. Meet the manager keeping it going. canonical: https://time.com/5547624/worlds-last-blockbuster/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-07T22:46:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:24:37.902Z og:title: Meet the Manager Running the World's Last Blockbuster og:description: "We set up accounts every single day for new people" og:url: https://time.com/5547624/worlds-last-blockbuster/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43c6243ec521cf87/6989466a8fd2ee581835de99/last-blockbuster.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Last-Blockbuster og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meet the Manager Running the World's Last Blockbuster twitter:description: "We set up accounts every single day for new people" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43c6243ec521cf87/6989466a8fd2ee581835de99/last-blockbuster.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'It’s Just Us Left.' Meet the Manager Running the World's Last Blockbuster > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c5a8a8bb-2cde-4a1e-b1ee-18e5a1b41a3e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: There Will Only Be 1 Blockbuster in America Soon [Watch (HLS stream): There Will Only Be 1 Blockbuster in America Soon](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hAUSh3mB.m3u8) (1:06)  _Published 2018-07-13. The last two remaining Blockbuster stores in Alaska are slated to close next week, leaving just one location of the once-iconic video rental store left in the U.S._  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 7, 2019 10:46 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 7, 2019 10:46 PM UTC In less than a month’s time, there will officially only be [one Blockbuster store left](http://time.com/5546639/bend-oregon-last-blockbuster-store/) in the entire world. But the last remaining relic of the [once mammoth video rental chain](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2022624,00.html) that owned movie night has no plans of shutting its doors anytime soon. In the wake of [reports](https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/6984279-151/its-official-bend-has-the-last-blockbuster-on) that Australia’s last location will be closing up shop by the end of March, a Blockbuster in Bend, Ore. — which was already the [only franchise still open in the United States](http://time.com/5337725/last-blockbuster-america-oregon/) — is set to be the lone Blockbuster left on the planet. But according to Sandi Harding, the general manager of the location in Bend, the news of her store’s new status left her with mixed emotions. “Initially, my reaction was excitement and, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was pretty exciting to know that we had outlasted everyone else,” she told TIME. “But then as soon as I got excited, I also realized that someone is losing their job somewhere and that we’re losing another Blockbuster store. It’s just us left, which means that we’re just that much closer to being completely gone and that’s just so sad.” However, Bend’s Blockbuster — which still has “popcorn ceilings” and “IBM computers from 1992” — doesn’t sound like it’s having any trouble keeping its doors open. “We sign up probably 5-10 membership applications a day and everybody thinks that I’m blowing that number up or exaggerating it, but I’m really not. We set up accounts every single day for new people.” In the age of Netflix and other digital streaming platforms, Harding credits her store’s success to both local support and Bend’s budding tourism industry. “Bend has grown tremendously in the last few years. But I think that even though we’re growing and getting bigger, people really love to buy local,” she said. “They know that our owners live two miles away from the store and that they’re frequently down here. I’ve been here 15 years, most of my staff has been around for a while and I think they just really appreciate that.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5547624/worlds-last-blockbuster/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5547624/worlds-last-blockbuster/"},"headline":"'It’s Just Us Left.' 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