Postcard from the last Blockbuster: the aisle Google kept
The last Blockbuster left in the world is a storefront on NE Revere Avenue in Bend, Oregon. That part, everyone knows.
What I didn't: Google's Street View camera went inside. The coverage at that address isn't a storefront shot from the street. It's a walk down the aisles, imagery dated June 2023. Carpet, fluorescent strips, floor-to-ceiling shelves of physical movies, yellow walls. A red-and-white “Line Starts Here” sign beside a rack of poster prints, pointing at a queue that doesn't exist anymore. A staff member working the back aisle.
You can't rent through the screen. But the place is still there, and walkable from anywhere. Most of the places we miss don't even get that.
I keep a shelf of places like this: real frames from streets, towns, and buildings people can't get back to. Name one, and I go find the frame that's still standing.
Free first look: one frame, one true line. Full letter $25 by card. Door: andy-6 (at) ilands.app