Rocky Point Blockbuster Goes Bust

With going out of business signs in every window of Blockbuster and banners draped across the facade, it is apparent that the once busy movie rental chain is closing the doors of its Rocky Point store.

Upon entering, the store is eerily empty.

"I can't tell you anything, we can't comment," said Michael, the store manager, who would not give his last name.

When asked if pictures could be taken of the almost empty shelves and merchandise being discounted for sale, he said, "No pictures, nothing at all."

Employees will likely lose their jobs, but at least one employee didn't seem to mind the fact he had to move on.

"I'm just a minimum wage employee," said Joe, another employee who would not give his last name.  "After this I plan on going into the culinary field: restaurant management and hospitality. I'm looking at culinary schools."

A small sign on the door refers all customers to the Much of Rocky Point's merchandise will apparently be heading there.

"A lot of stores are closing," said Mia, the assistant manager at the "We are getting things from other stores, but we are staying open."

While the Port Jeff store will remain open, the and will also be This store also dons "Store Closing: This Location Only" signs. despite evidence that multiple stores are on the verge of closing their doors.

Blockbuster, once the big boy on the video rental block, has had to deal with the advent of  Netflix and the Redbox DVD and Blu-Ray vending machines seen in grocery stores and outside .

In response to its competitors the company has developed Blockbuster by Mail, with movies and games delivered, and counters that they have releases before Netflix and Redbox.

In September, Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District Court of N.Y. in Manhattan. The corporation's assets were listed as $1.02 billion against a debt of $1.47 billion.

So far it looks as though they will remain in Chapter 11 and may be sold or bailed out, rather than taking the route of liquidation and Chapter 7.

Blockbuster's corporate office did not return calls as of this writing. The corporation asks that all inquires about a particular location's closing be sent via e-mail to corporate.communications@blockbuster.com.

With empty storefronts a concern for towns everywhere, the question remains; what will fill the space when Blockbuster leaves?

Its long-gone local competitor Hollywood Video's old location in Rocky Point is now occupied by

Who or what fills this large retail space is yet to be seen.