Lauren Pineda
If you live in Bend, Oregon, then you have the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane with the “End of Summer Sleepover at the Last Blockbuster” Airbnb. Held only for the residents of Deschutes County, you can have a summer sleepover at the world’s last Blockbuster store. Say goodbye to physically renting movies forever (cue tears).
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Sandi Harding, the owner of the store, wanted to celebrate managing the last standing Blockbuster in the country by thanking the loyal customers in Central Oregon who had religiously and amazingly kept the store going before the coronavirus pandemic hit. She wrote, “As the last standing location in the world, our Blockbuster store is an ode to movie magic, simpler times and the sense of community that could once be found in Blockbuster locations around the world. Over the past few months, we’ve been missing the regular visits from friends, neighbors and tourists from around the world. So, we’re opening our store to three quarantine pods of Deschutes County guests for a socially-distanced movie night, just like those of decades past!”
The listing offers movie lovers the chance to book a one-night stay from September 18-20, with up to four guests per night. The residents of Deschutes County can start booking next Monday, on August 17 at 1:00pm PT, and will have the entire place to themselves during their one-night reservation for only a whopping $4, which is notably only a penny more than the standard $3.99 movie rental price.
The Airbnb listing description reads, “Hey Deschutes County residents! Dust off those membership cards for a sleepover inside the world’s last Blockbuster. When you call dibs on this stay, you’re booking a night back in the 90s, but this time you won’t have to beg your parents to rent the latest horror flick — we’ll give you the keys to the entire store!”
Harding plans to clean the store accordingly with Airbnb’s cleaning protocol as a result of COVID-19 per CDC guidelines. She will provide disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, and a pack of face coverings, while guests will have the entire store to themselves from check-in to check-out. They get unlimited access to all the movies inside the store, a pull-out couch and bean bags, and snacks galore with butter popcorn, Raisinets, and Nerds for the ultimate Blockbuster experience.
On September 21, after the final guests have finished their stay, for a limited time, people can still come and visit the living room space during store hours. Customers should call in advance for any movie suggestions and can grab Blockbuster merch and swag to support the local community and store staff. According to Variety, Airbnb will also be making a donation to a longtime partner of the store, the Human Society of Central Oregon.
If I had a chance to stay at the world’s last remaining Blockbuster for under $5, I would seize the opportunity immediately. It’s almost unfair that I don’t even get the chance to have a nostalgic, intimate slumber party that would take me back to pre-Netflix days, when physically going to a video store to pick a movie was an actual event. We would monitor when new releases were dropped so that we could go rent them before they ran out. Streaming services really have taken the fun out of all of that. I mean this is the ultimate unlimited movie marathon here.
