Did you know this was a thing?

Blockbuster is alive and well in downtown Allegan, Michigan baby! Well, sort of.

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If you are of a "certain age" you probably remember your local video store being the place to be on Friday nights. At least in my hometown of Allegan I remember driving over to Movies & More to stock up for the weekend's entertainment.

First it was VHS, then it was DVDs and Blu-Rays and now it's not even anything tangible; everything is streaming to our devices on-demand.

Video rental stores don't even exist anymore and things like Redbox are barely hanging on. In fact, it's nearly been a year since Netflix stopped operating their original business model of sending out physical DVD rentals by mail.

Where did our youth and culture go? Thankfully, all is not lost!

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Take a Movie, Leave a Movie

As part of a national movement to reignite the public's passion for physical media the iconic old Regent Theatre in downtown Allegan announced they've joined the "Free Blockbuster" movement.

Essentially, it's like one of those free neighborhood libraries that you see popping up around town-- but with movies. Perhaps a movie you left behind could be someone's next favorite movie.

How to Rent:

The Free Blockbuster library will be located in the lobby of The Regent Theatre at 211 Trowbridge Street in downtown Allegan. Free Blockbuster will make its debut on October 14, 2023  during the screening of the horror film V/H/S as part of the theatre's annual Shocktober! film series.

According to The Regent Theatre,

The box will be located inside the lobby and will be available whenever the movie theater is open. Don’t forget to take home some popcorn and candy!

You can follow along on Instagram at @freeblockbusterallegan to learn more.

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