Still making it a Blockbuster night; historic Dallas garage with far-out vintage sign closes; a McDonald's mansard survivor; California's 'Hi! Let's Eat' sign to return | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
Hi friends!
I was stoked to read about the Blockbuster Video pop-up bar experience in Los Angeles. Visitors get to enjoy a trip down memory lane while having a drink or two and even brunch!
And, on the other coast, there’s a permanent bar that plays off a Blockbuster theme, called Beerbusters Movie Bar in Pinellas Park, Florida.
But for my money, it doesn’t get better than the real thing, and the only Blockbuster left on Earth is in Bend, Oregon, which I visited in May 2021. [Map]
Below is my gallery of photos and my writeup!
Back in May, 2021, I did something I hadn’t done since 2007 or so. I made it a Blockbuster night. On my epic road trip through Oregon, I visited what has become known as The Last Blockbuster.
This is where the once ubiquitous video-rental chain is making its last stand, in Bend, Oregon, a long, torturous drive through valleys and mountains from Portland, but worth the trek.
Blockbuster was one of the highlights of our trip. Indeed, it helped inspire it. After I watched the Last Blockbuster Movie on Netflix (I know, the irony) I knew I had to see the store for myself.
It felt like catching up with an old friend, one you hadn’t seen in a long time, one you didn’t realize you missed, one that perhaps you’d taken for granted, but one you knew you’d probably never see again.
The store has become a media darling since the documentary went viral, and reels in a steady stream of tourists. It even became an Airbnb last year. A local who works at the airport in Bend told me he’s noticed an uptick in tourists visiting Bend -- a beautiful city long popular with outdoorsy types -- simply to pay homage to the Blockbuster. Well, we were proudly among the gawkers.
The place was busy with customers actually renting movies. Imagine that? Sure, they likely have the same streaming services we do. They can probably watch the movie they are renting on the phones in their pockets. But yet, here they are. Going to an actual place run by their neighbors. I felt a twinge of jealousy for these folks, who can make it a Blockbuster night whenever the mood strikes. Blockbuster and chill. That sounds pretty nice right about now.
And there are plenty of Blockbuster relics that are still left around the country, including this curiosity, below, in Ashland, Kentucky, that I stumbled upon back in June. [Map]
New feature: The Retrologist’s Notebook!
As a special feature and show of thanks for my paid subscribers, I’m starting something called The Retrologist’s Notebook, where I will regularly post photos, tips, road-trip lists and more.
Today, I added a few finds from a trip I made today out to Great Neck, New York, including this mansard McDonald’s, which has got to be one of the last in New York City!
The post is below and you can upgrade your subscription there. Thanks as always for your support!
Historic Dallas garage closes after just shy of 60 years
The Belmont Garage in the Dallas, Texas, neighborhood of Lakewood has closed, just shy of its 60th birthday.
The store has a fabulous vintage sign, with three panels, two featuring starbursts. One says in a jaunty lettertype: TIME TO TUNE UP.
The article in the Advocate does not address what will happen to the sign, but there is a vigorous local preservation effort to save local homes of architectural distinction. I’m hopeful that if the sign cannot be preserved in place, it will not be destroyed.
The building itself, clad in buff brick, relieved by an elegant stone pillar and featuring a curved canopy, is handsome and appears to be in good condition. [Map]
The Advocate offers some background:
The garage near the corner of Belmont Avenue and Abrams Road was founded by the Lewis family. Ray Lewis took over the business from his father in 1978. For more than a decade, Belmont Garage had been run by a woman named Kat, the business website says.
A sign on the door of the garage simply states the closure: “Officially closed. Thank you for all your business for the last 60 years!”
I’ll keep you updated on what I hear.
For my patrons (folks who have upgraded to paid status) I’ve put together a nifty list of other sites they can be visited around this garage. It’s in my Retrologist’s Notebook.
The link is here and below, and you can upgrade your subscription easily!
Notes From the Road
There has been a spate of diner closings of late, and the trend continues: The Lawrence Diner in the Five Towns community of Long Island has closed after more than 70 years. [LI Herald]
A former eatery in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, is poised to be demolished. It was last called Big T’s Italian Market, which closed in 2015.[Wildwood Video Archive]
And now something positive! An indoor pop-up roller-skating rink with retro flair awaits you in Thornhill, Ontario. [YorkRegion.com]
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum is leaving its longtime home on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. [ABC7NY]
While the Neon Museum of Philadelphia is closing Dec. 11, you might want to go this weekend. An exhibit called “Philly Based” will close this Sunday. [Philly Trib]
For the Dolly Parton and Waffle House fan, the shower curtain in this roundup (No. 8 on this list of Dolly gifts) is a must for Santa’s list! [Mental Floss]
Poets —famous and anonymous alike — have long gathered at the Blue Moon Tavern in Seattle. Here’s a look inside — and at the neon sign outside. [The Daily]
Fire destroys an historic Lincoln, Rhode Island, furniture store. [WPRI]
A cafe shaped like an “upside down boat", constructed in 1997 — which, hard to believe, is indeed a quarter century ago — is now the youngest listed building in the British Isles. [Dezeen]
And finally, the historic “Hi! Let’s Eat” sign, an icon of Lompoc, California and an Instagram-famous sign, will be installed outside its new home on Dec. 9, at the American Host Restaurant on North I Street. [Map] [Story] [Story]
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