Remember the days when picking out a movie meant walking into Blockbuster and wandering the aisles until you found the perfect VHS or DVD?
Well, that nostalgia is making a comeback — just in a very different way.
A new twist on the neighborhood Little Free Library is popping up across the country, but instead of books, these little boxes are filled with VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-rays that people can take, watch and share.
They’re called Free Blockbusters, and they even feature the iconic blue-and-yellow Blockbuster-inspired design:
The first Free Blockbuster was created a few years ago by a former Blockbuster employee and VHS collector in California. The original was made from an old Los Angeles Times newspaper dispenser that was painted with Blockbuster-inspired logos and artwork.
Since then, the idea has grown, with dozens of Free Blockbusters now located across the U.S.
Want to check it out for yourself in Jacksonville? Well, we have multiple locations: one off Polaris Street and a BRAND NEW one off College Street, both in Murray Hill!
The concept is pretty simple: Find a movie you want to watch, take it for free and, when you’re done, return it or leave another movie for someone else to enjoy.
And if you want one in your own neighborhood, you can actually start one yourself.
The Free Blockbuster website offers information and resources for people who want to create their own location. You can even purchase a pre-painted newspaper dispenser for about $420, although that’s definitely not required. The organization also provides stencils so you can create your own Free Blockbuster out of pretty much anything.
Once your Free Blockbuster is up and running, you can let the organization know so it can be added to the shared map of locations.
It’s basically the Little Free Library for movie lovers — and a pretty fun way to keep physical media from becoming a thing of the past.
So if you’ve still got a stack of old VHS tapes or DVDs collecting dust, maybe it’s time to share the nostalgia.
And yes, according to the Free Blockbuster website, Blockbuster LLC appears to be okay with the project using its likeness for these free movie libraries.