Blockbuster

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Blockbuster began in Dallas, Texas, where David Cook opened the first Blockbuster Video store on October 19, 1985. Its big-box selection, computerized inventory, and unmistakable blue-and-yellow ticket logo turned the humble Friday-night rental into a national ceremony: browse, debate, grab snacks, forget to rewind.

The chain grew at frighteningly cheerful speed, eventually operating thousands of video stores across the United States and internationally. Corporate headquarters shifted to Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the expansion era, then returned to Dallas in 1997. In 1994, Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation merged into Viacom; Viacom later split off Blockbuster Inc. in October 2004.

The sequel got expensive. Blockbuster Inc. entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 23, 2010, amid debt and a rapidly changing home-entertainment market. DISH Network acquired substantially all of its assets in a bankruptcy auction in April 2011. In November 2013, DISH announced the end of domestic retail and DVD-by-mail operations; the remaining company-owned U.S. stores closed in January 2014.

Our Blockbuster collection celebrates the fluorescent aisles, empty clamshell cases, questionable late fees, and eternal optimism of choosing a movie in under 45 minutes. Corporate relic? Sure. Friday night legend? Absolutely.