California woman's nostalgic Blockbuster-themed movie 'library' has neighbors 'rewinding' into the past

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A California woman is reminding her neighbors of fond memories associated with Blockbuster Video through a "Free Blockbuster" movie exhange.

It's a spin on a "Little Free Library" – a non-profit book-sharing initiative where people donate and borrow books. "Free Blockbuster" is the same idea, but the box is filled with films and is painted in Blockbuster's classic colors — blue and yellow.

It was Alyssa Kollgaard, a video game developer in Los Angeles, who wanted to share her love for films through a creative and sentimental project.

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Kollgaard has had a free food pantry outside her home for the past two years and realized she had an extra box that could be used for the Blockbuster box, she told Fox News Digital.

Alyssa Kollgaard, a resident of Los Angeles, California, is sharing her love for films through a Blockbuster-themed "library" where she and her neighbors can borrow, return and voluntarily exhange DVDs and VHS tapes. (Alyssa Kollgaard)

Her husband, Christian Kollgaard, is a professional fabricator for film and TV, so he helped assemble the perfect blue and yellow movie library.

The "Free Blockbuster" boxes are filled with DVDs. Kollgaard said she can also "rent out" VHS tapes, but those cannot remain in the box since they'd melt in the California heat.

Kollgaard has an extensive movie collection that she grew over the past 10 years. She and her husband even run a movie theater at the post-apocalyptic movie festival, "Wasteland Weekend," she said.

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Kollgaard pointed out how the increase in streaming platforms contributed to the death of the DVD and people missing an "in-person experience of browsing" movies to borrow.

"There is definitely a lot of nostalgia around the Blockbuster and I think, visually, the branding is really strong," Kollgaard said.

Blockbuster Video was an American movie rental chain that was founded in 1985. There were about 9,000 stores operating across the country, but as mail-in DVDs and streaming soared in popularity, physical movie rentals became obsolete and Blockbuster ceased operations in 2014.

There is one surviving Blockbuster located in Bend, Oregon. The store is privately owned.

Kollgaard said some people can find streaming to be overwhelming, and her Blockbuster box is helping them.

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"The reception has been really strong because it replicates that experience of going to a store and browsing and checking something out and going home and watching it and then coming back and doing it again and seeing what's new," she explained.

Alyssa Kollgaard built a "Free Blockbuster" in her neighborhood and her neighbors are already borrowing some classics. The last Blockbuster Video store is located in Bend, Oregon, and is privately owned. (Alyssa Kollgaard)

Kollgaard has filled her "Free Blockbuster" with some science fiction films and slightly more avant-garde movies with a cult following — including "The Lord of the Rings" and "Reefer Madness."

Her neighbors can "rent" and return their movie choices or even exchange a movie to help the collection grow.

"Somebody took Kill Bill 2 and left Kill Bill 1 because it wasn't a part of my collection," Kollgaard said.

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The "Free Blockbuster" exchange box is filled with movies from Kollgaard's personal collection that she has grown over a decade. Her neighbors have been borrowing, returning and leaving films from their own collections as well. (Alyssa Kollgaard)

Kollgaard said she has found a real sense of community through this new hobby.

"A few people say they've been moved to tears, which I think is pretty amazing that we all have this shared memory of something," she said.

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Kollgaard, a video game developer in Los Angeles, is sharing her love for movies with neighbors through a "Free Blockbuster" exchange that offers DVD and VHS rentals. (Alyssa Kollgaard)

"It's just fun to get to know who is in my neighborhood based on what movies they rent and what movies they leave."

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