Oct 24, 2025
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Red Light District
Flashback to Canada in the '90s (Remember Jumbo Video?)
A lot of us remember Blockbuster and what it was like to go into one... but who remembers Jumbo Video?
The free popcorn
The adult section in the back with the swinging saloon style doors
When I was in high school in London, Ontario, we would go to Jumbo Video almost every weekend to rent something. They had free popcorn to munch on as you wandered around and always had a great selection. When I moved out of town for college, it was just Blockbuster or Rogers Video to rent from. And we rented movies ALL THE TIME. Then all those closed down and now there's no where to rent movies from. It's all Netflix or iTunes now.
I was back in London this past weekend and happened to be in the plaza that Jumbo used to be in. I didn't see it in it's usual spot, but looking around I saw it had just moved down a few stores. Meaning, it's STILL THERE. And it's STILL RENTING MOVIES!
We went in to look around and I must admit I had a lump in my throat as I wandered the aisles. They have movies we've had to buy online because we never thought we'd see them otherwise. They had movies we didn't know were available on DVD in the first place. Their horror section is one entire aisle long! They have 3, THREE, copies of Father's Day! They have Leslie Vernon and Bad Taste side by side! FOR RENT!
It's not Netflix, it's not iTunes. It's a physical store you can go to and browse while you snack on free popcorn. They still have the free popcorn, for crying out loud! I can't count any more the number of Friday nights where I'd love to go to the video store and see what's there, rent something old and crappy or new and good. That feeling of finally getting a copy of something you've been waiting to be returned! Looking through the cart of movies they have to put back on the shelf! Finding a gem hidden behind something! Having your rentals in your hand as you choose snacks for the night (look at their candy shelf, JUST LOOK AT IT!).
We would be Gold Card members there, if we could, without a doubt. I'm really am sad because I know this place exists and we can't use it.
The (unimpressive) Life and (beautiful) Death of Blockbuster Video
I realize that this post is uh, I don’t know, maybe 18 or so months late – but I still get such pleasure from seeing the closed doors of the once ubiquitous Blockbuster Video. I really hated these guys right from the get go –always saw them for what they were - the big American Movie rental chain invading our land with their horrible font that always reminded me of the back of a hockey jersey.
It’s probably because I’m old, but I when it came to movie renting back in the day (and boy has that changed now) – I’d go out of my way to go anywhere but to these guys – in fact I may well not have ever had a membership. As a kid growing up in Kitchener, Ontario (and this’ll really show my age) – my family used to rent a VCR and a couple of movies from the local (and only) Laurentian Video in the plaza near our house. As a kid this was a big ass deal man (and I, in truth didn’t really even LOVE movies – or maybe I was just too wound up to sit still for that long…which is still true today). Anyway a few years had passed; we actually bought a $500(ish) VCR and my brother and I started making our way to the wider selection – but independently Canadian owned Jumbo Video (remember the happy elephant and the free popcorn) for those nights we’d watch movies – then later rent loads of video games from them. They were always so nice to us.
I don’t even really know what I’m getting at here other than just wanting to say that – I’ve always hated you Blockbuster – and F U. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Well that and – you guys (of course) should have seen the writing on the wall when the internet exploded – you could of beaten Netflix to the punch, but like so many other behemoth companies, you decided instead to die a slow death. Perfect – I couldn’t have written a better script myself.
Oh and seriously - change that font already – you really want that on your gravestone?
Maybe add an elephant?
Oh and as a side note: Jumbo Video still exists (miraculously) and is Canada's largest remaining video store chain.