Kids today will never know the joy of the Blockbuster experience on a Friday or a Saturday night. In fact, most people have either never known or forgotten what it was like to walk into a Blockbuster in search of a movie to rent.

For me, it was hoping against hope that the new release i had been waiting to see would still be there. It was also about discovering a hidden gem in the 99 cent rentals in the middle aisles.

Later, I found out about previewed movies that were available to buy. Usually, that meant that they had been rented a few times but the store no longer needed as many copies as the movie wasn’t in as high a demand as before.

It was a memory that I carry with me to this day. I believe there’s only one actual Blockbuster store still around, located in the Washington state area. Apparently, you can rent the store for a night and watch all the movies you can cram into one night — or something like that. Hopefully, you can wear pajamas and bring sleeping bags.

I do love Netflix and Amazon Prime and all things streaming, but it’s not the same. There’s nothing that beats holding a physical copy of a movie in your hands, ready to check out and take home.

Maybe I can dig up my old Blockbuster card somewhere. All it’s good for now are the nostalgia and the memories.