The Last Blockbuster

The Last Blockbuster is a video-rental store in Bend, Oregon, and the final operating retail location associated with the Blockbuster brand. The store began in 1992, when Ken and Debbie Tisher opened it as the second branch of Pacific Video, a small Oregon rental chain. The location was later converted into a Blockbuster franchise in 2000. Unlike Blockbuster's corporate-owned stores, the Bend shop survived the company's large-scale retreat from physical video rental because it remained independently owned and locally operated. Blockbuster closed its remaining corporate stores by early 2014, but a group of franchise locations continued operating. The Bend store became the last Blockbuster in the United States in July 2018 after the closure of the final other U.S. locations, and it became the last remaining retail store in the world using the Blockbuster name in March 2019. Dish Network, which owns the Blockbuster trademark, has stopped granting new franchises, while Ken Tisher continues to license the mark for the Bend operation on a yearly basis. This combination of independent ownership, trademark licensing, and the disappearance of competing Blockbuster locations gives the store its unusual status: it is not a corporate headquarters or a surviving chain, but a single local retailer carrying a globally recognizable legacy brand. The store continues to rent physical media, including DVDs and Blu-ray discs, and has also offered video games, snacks, candy, clothing, souvenirs, and other branded merchandise. Reference material describes a collection of roughly 1,200 movie titles and approximately 4,000 regular members. As the physical-media supply chain contracted, the store increasingly relied on mainstream retailers for new movies and on merchandise and visitor interest as important parts of its business. By 2024, merchandise was estimated to account for about 80 percent of income, reflecting the store's evolution from a conventional rental outlet into a nostalgia-driven destination. The Bend location has attracted tourists, journalists, filmmakers, entertainers, and advertisers. Its public profile grew through a local commemorative beer, a television appearance, the 2020 documentary The Last Blockbuster, a Family Guy storyline, and Netflix's fictionalized 2022 sitcom Blockbuster. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the store continued operating without staff layoffs and experimented with limited Airbnb sleepovers. It also maintains film memorabilia transferred from the former Anchorage Blockbuster, including items associated with Russell Crowe productions. In 2023, an Instagram commercial depicting a cockroach surviving an apparent global catastrophe before reaching the still-open store generated additional attention and reportedly increased sales. The business remains a functioning video-rental shop, merchandise retailer, and cultural attraction centered on the memory of the pre-streaming rental era.

The Bend, Oregon, store began in 1992 as the second location of Pacific Video, a small local video-rental chain established by Ken and Debbie Tisher. The couple had considered locating near a Shopko store close to U.S. Route 97, but ultimately opened the shop at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and Revere Avenue. Ken Tisher described his approach as that of a neighborhood, independently run video business rather than a large corporate operation. In 2000, the Tishers converted the location into a Blockbuster franchise. The change gave the store access to the Blockbuster name and operating identity while preserving its local ownership. Sandi Harding became general manager in 2004 and has remained closely associated with the store's day-to-day operation. Blockbuster's corporate business declined sharply as DVD-by-mail services, digital distribution, and streaming changed how consumers watched films. The company closed all of its corporate-owned stores by early 2014. Approximately 50 franchise stores remained at that point, including the Bend location. Those stores gradually disappeared as the economics of physical rental weakened. In July 2018, Bend became the last Blockbuster in the United States. In March 2019, following the closure of the final other retail location, it became the last Blockbuster store in the world. The store's survival was supported by its independent ownership and by continued licensing of the Blockbuster trademark from Dish Network, which owns the mark. Dish no longer grants new Blockbuster franchises, making the Bend store's status effectively unique. The business continued to rent physical media, with reference material describing approximately 1,200 titles and around 4,000 regular members. It also expanded its retail mix through branded apparel, souvenirs, snacks, candy, and other merchandise. As distributors and DVD vendors closed or imposed order quantities unsuitable for a single shop, new movies increasingly came from Walmart and Target, while Costco supplied snacks and candy. Once the last store designation became public, the Bend location developed into a tourist attraction and a symbol of the pre-streaming rental era. Its profile was reinforced by a 2018 commemorative dark ale from Bend-based 10 Barrel Brewing, a 2019 television appearance, and the 2020 documentary The Last Blockbuster. The store also hosted restricted Airbnb sleepovers during the pandemic and continued operating without staff layoffs according to the reference material. It later appeared in Family Guy and helped inspire the fictional premise of Netflix's 2022 sitcom Blockbuster. The store's cultural role also includes a display of film memorabilia transferred from the former Anchorage Blockbuster after that location closed in July 2018. The collection includes items associated with Russell Crowe films, such as a hood from Robin Hood, clothing from Cinderella Man and Les Misérables, and director's chairs from American Gangster. The memorabilia had previously been donated to the Alaska store for a television segment. In 2023, the store released an Instagram commercial timed to the Super Bowl LVII halftime-show period. The advertisement depicted a lone cockroach traveling through the aftermath of an apparent global catastrophe before reaching the still-operating store. The campaign generated renewed attention and was followed by an uptick in sales. By 2024, the store was reported to derive roughly 80 percent of its income from merchandise, illustrating its transition from a conventional rental outlet into a hybrid retailer, attraction, and piece of popular-culture memorabilia.

• 2023

  Apocalyptic commercial launches on Instagram

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  A humorous advertisement portrays the store surviving a global catastrophe and is followed by increased sales.

• 2020

  Documentary and Airbnb experiences expand the brand's profile

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  The store becomes the subject of a documentary and hosts limited overnight experiences during the pandemic.

• 2019

  Bend becomes the world's last retail Blockbuster

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  The closure of the last other retail location leaves Bend as the final store using the Blockbuster brand.

• 2018

  Bend becomes the last U.S. Blockbuster

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  The store becomes the final operating Blockbuster location in the United States.

• 2014

  Blockbuster closes its corporate-owned stores

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  Blockbuster's corporate-owned retail network is closed, leaving franchise stores such as Bend to operate independently.

• 2004

  Sandi Harding becomes general manager

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  Harding begins managing the Bend operation and remains associated with its continuing operation.

• 2000

  Location becomes a Blockbuster franchise

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  The independently owned Pacific Video store adopts the Blockbuster franchise identity.

• 1992

  Bend video-rental location opens

  [1]Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org

  Ken and Debbie Tisher open the Bend store as the second Pacific Video location.

Nostalgic physical-media rental store, local retailer, and tourist attraction

• Physical media rental · 1992

  DVD rentals

  DVD rental remains one of the store's defining services. The Bend location maintains a catalog of approximately 1,200 titles according to reference material, preserving a browse-and-rent model that largely disappeared from mainstream retail after the growth of digital streaming.

• Physical media rental

  Blu-ray rentals

  Blu-ray discs complement the store's DVD collection and provide customers with a higher-definition physical-media option. They are part of the shop's continuing rental assortment alongside other home-entertainment titles.

• Entertainment rental

  Video games

  Video games are among the types of entertainment products associated with the store's rental offering. The reference material identifies games as a typical product category, although it does not specify the current platform mix or catalog size.

• Branded merchandise

  Blockbuster merchandise

  The store sells merchandise bearing the Blockbuster identity under its trademark license. Apparel, souvenirs, and other branded goods have become central to the business and were estimated to represent about 80 percent of income in 2024.

• Concessions

  Snacks and candy

  Snacks and candy support the store's traditional movie-night proposition and its role as a nostalgia destination. Reference material states that these products are sourced from Costco.

• 2023Cockroach survival commercial

  United States · Online

  An Instagram commercial timed around the Super Bowl LVII halftime-show period showed a cockroach traveling through the remains of an apparent global catastrophe before reaching the still-open store.

  Outcome. The store reported increased sales after the advertisement was released.

  Source
• 2020Airbnb store sleepovers

  Deschutes County, Oregon

  The store offered a limited number of overnight stays through Airbnb, restricted to local residents and small household groups during the COVID-19 period.

  Outcome. The experience generated publicity while applying local eligibility and household restrictions.

  Source
• 2018The Last Blockbuster commemorative beer

  Bend, Oregon

  Local brewery 10 Barrel released a dark ale named The Last Blockbuster in connection with a block party celebrating the store's status as the last Blockbuster in the United States.

  Outcome. The release reinforced the store's identity as a local cultural attraction.

  Source

• 2024

  Shift emphasis toward merchandiseStrategy

  Background

  Many DVD vendors had closed, while remaining suppliers required order quantities too large for a single store.

  Action taken

  The store sourced new movies from Walmart and Target and emphasized branded merchandise, while obtaining snacks and candy from Costco.

  Aftermath

  Merchandise was estimated to account for approximately 80 percent of income, showing the business's transition toward retail and tourism.

  Estimated share of income from merchandise. 80% (2024 estimate)

  Source

• 2020

  Keep staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemicOther

  Background

  The pandemic disrupted retail and entertainment businesses, including physical-media stores.

  Action taken

  The store continued operating without laying off staff, according to the reference material.

  Aftermath

  It supplemented its public profile with restricted Airbnb sleepover experiences.

  Source

• 2018

  Continue operating as the last U.S. locationStrategy

  Background

  The closure of other U.S. Blockbuster stores left the Bend franchise as the brand's final American location.

  Action taken

  The store continued local rental operations and expanded its public-facing merchandise and attraction role.

  Aftermath

  The location became a tourist destination and later the final Blockbuster retail store worldwide.

  Source

• 2000

  Convert the Bend store to a Blockbuster franchiseStrategy

  Background

  The Tishers operated the location as part of the small Pacific Video chain before adopting the better-known Blockbuster identity.

  Action taken

  The store became a Blockbuster franchise while remaining independently owned.

  Aftermath

  Independent ownership later enabled the Bend location to continue after Blockbuster shut its corporate stores.

  Source

1. 1Last Blockbusteren.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Last Blockbuster official websitebendblockbuster.com