Random annual blog post time!

When I first started this blog waaaay back in 2003, I was a part time employee at the Horizon location of Blockbuster Video. I stopped working there at the end of 2004, so I think I was only there for about two years. Those were two very important years of my life. Not only did they mark the conclusion of my undergrad degree, but it's where I met my wife. I still remember when she walked into the store and dropped her resume off with the manager. After the manager went into the back and pinned it to a cork board (great HR practice there) I snuck back to learn more about her. She started soon after, and I thought she was really obnoxious. And she thought I was gay. Somehow it was meant to be and we became good friends, and then one night she just never left. She's still there!

After leaving Blockbuster it became a whirlwind of changes, tragedy, and triumph. Everything from graduating from university, a new career, the death of my mother, pregnancy, a new child, a move to a new city, and another job change. That all happened in 2005/2006, so the time of my life I spent at Blockbuster seemed to pale in comparison. However, looking back now they were a couple of the best years of my life that just happened to precede some of the most tumultuous. I realize that now as I reflect back on my time there.

The reason for this reflection, and this blog post, is that Blockbuster Canada has been placed into receivership and is closing 1/3 of their stores across Canada. The Horizon location is one of those. None of the great people I met there work for Blockbuster anymore, and have moved on to greater careers and/or post-secondary education. Still, I am sad to see the location of so many great memories fade away.

Most of my friends at Blockbuster left within a few months of me, and with a couple exceptions (including the one who sleeps in my bed) I didn't do a very good job of keeping in contact with them. However, Facebook (the death knell of this blog) allowed me to keep tabs on them now and then, and vice versa. When I heard that Horizon would be closing I posted a simple status update lamenting the development, and the next thing I knew we were planning a reunion.

Before the reunion, Kayla and I stopped by the old store for one last visit. The store was only a couple days from closing and everything had been reduced to 70% off. The site was absolutely depressing. The walls were bare and picked clean, and what was left was being furiously flipped thorough by bargain hunters. I felt sad to see it like this. In addition to being a place of work myself and others, it felt like an important part of a greater lively community. It was the only video store in that area of Calgary and we always had a lot of great traffic go through there. Everything from guys who paid with wads of cash from brown paper bags, to the guy from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra who wouldn't let me touch his violin. It was a vibrant and eclectic place, and would be no more. But I digress...

The actual reunion was a blast and it felt natural to be with these people again. We started off talking about the old days, but soon enough we were talking about everything in our lives since then. I have no idea why we all stopped hanging out because it was obvious to me that we were friends not because we worked together, but because we all meshed so well. It was a really enjoyable evening, and I hope it will become a regular thing.

As far as the company itself goes, I think the days of big franchise video rental stores are nearing their end. As long as movies are still being released on physical media we'll still see some smaller mom & pop stores, but that's it. I suppose that's fitting considering Blockbuster put so many of those places out of business in the 90s.

Netflix, VOD, and piracy is convenient and I admit to partaking in it all. However, I still like walking into a store so that I can browse the shelves of movies old & new. I like talking to the staff and soliciting their opinions, even if they're wearing a Twilight or Bieber button. To me it provides a sense of community that isn't as tangible in the online realm. But then again, I'm old fashioned. I still buy the occasional CD, and I dread the day when I can't buy my favorite game or movie on a disk.

My local Blockbuster is still open, and I hope will continue to be for a while. When it does close, those employees will get better jobs, people will find other avenues to rent their movies, and life will continue on. I'm just happy I got to be part of it.