Re: My Odds & Ends: Glory Days of Video Rentals!!
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Wow, that's a lot to take in. It's always weird to me when people talk about places like Walmart and Target in the 80s because we didn't get them up here until the mid to late 90s. You literally keep everything. It's amazing. I used to have a ton of VHS tapes but when we got married in 2007 we donated them to a senior living center in the area, lol. I don't even own a VCR anymore. I can't say I remember the 7-11s around here renting movies that long ago, but I spent most of my time at them back then either looking through the comic spinner racks, browsing the candy aisle, or filling up a Slurpee cup. Or checking out whatever arcade game they had. Sometimes I'd even play them, but most of the time I just liked to watch the demos because I had to save what precious money my grandma gave me for other things. It's weird to think now that back then kids as young 8 or 9 would walk to the corner store alone. I don't even like my kids walking to the bus stop at the end of our driveway alone.
Those Blockbuster blank tapes bring back memories. When I got back into wrestling after WM14 I had to find a way to catch up, so I would rent old PPVs from Blockbuster, cover that slot on the tape that would allow you to record off the tape, and I'd have two VCRs hooked up to the TV so I could make a copy for myself. Not the most honest of things to do, but I know I wasn't the only person doing that. Crazy the lengths you had to got to do something like that back then, now you can search it on the internet and find almost anything.
I remember Blockbusters in the area. I mentioned before Putt Putt rented games at one point. A grocery store called Wegmans had a video rental space, too. I'd often ride my bike to them to see what new stuff had come out. There was another place that eventually became a Blockbuster but before that it had another name I don't recall, but they had a popcorn machine you could fill up a little bag for yourself while you walked around and browsed, and I always dug that.
But all those places are gone now. There were a few Family Rental places in the area but they closed a year or so ago, maybe even before that, I don't know. The nearest was getting remodeled last Spring and we were excited at what it might become, but then they put up a Dollar General sign and, well, meh. They're everywhere, so that was a letdown.
That's a nice story about Kindergarten Cop. I know you said it meant a lot to you when I posted the trailer not that long ago. I now see why. Phantoms is a very underrated film. I went into with very low expectations and was surprised at how good it was. To this day I think of it every time I hear that Patsy Cline song.
Good stuff. It's a lot to take it but it obviously means a lot to you to have put so much effort into it and I can appreciate that!
Those Blockbuster blank tapes bring back memories. When I got back into wrestling after WM14 I had to find a way to catch up, so I would rent old PPVs from Blockbuster, cover that slot on the tape that would allow you to record off the tape, and I'd have two VCRs hooked up to the TV so I could make a copy for myself. Not the most honest of things to do, but I know I wasn't the only person doing that. Crazy the lengths you had to got to do something like that back then, now you can search it on the internet and find almost anything.
I remember Blockbusters in the area. I mentioned before Putt Putt rented games at one point. A grocery store called Wegmans had a video rental space, too. I'd often ride my bike to them to see what new stuff had come out. There was another place that eventually became a Blockbuster but before that it had another name I don't recall, but they had a popcorn machine you could fill up a little bag for yourself while you walked around and browsed, and I always dug that.
But all those places are gone now. There were a few Family Rental places in the area but they closed a year or so ago, maybe even before that, I don't know. The nearest was getting remodeled last Spring and we were excited at what it might become, but then they put up a Dollar General sign and, well, meh. They're everywhere, so that was a letdown.
That's a nice story about Kindergarten Cop. I know you said it meant a lot to you when I posted the trailer not that long ago. I now see why. Phantoms is a very underrated film. I went into with very low expectations and was surprised at how good it was. To this day I think of it every time I hear that Patsy Cline song.
Good stuff. It's a lot to take it but it obviously means a lot to you to have put so much effort into it and I can appreciate that!