Win 1, Lose 1

Blockbuster store closing - Everything must go!

There must be something special about where I live. Ever since Blockbuser declared bankruptcy late last year, I've been wondering where they'd start closing their stores. Today, as I was headed over to a local Office Depot, I passed the one lone Blockbuster in the area, and as fate would have it, it was closing.

Liquor store with new liquor sign.

Of course, I should be happy; while we've lost a Blockbuster, we've gained our old Albertsons liquor store back. The Albertsons and the Blockbuster stare at one another across a shared parking lot. So instead of picking up a movie and a pizza, I can pick up my favorite distilled take-home beverage to go with my take-home pizza and watch my Netflix movies via my Wii on my Samsung digital TV. What progress!

Alberstons totally closed, January 2009 

As you can see above, the entire Albertons was completely closed, including the liquor store.

This small shopping mall isn't a stranger to store closings. That Office Depot I was headed to sits where Goodings, the original grocery store in this area, first opened. Office Depot split the square footage with another store, Home Goods. And there's been a string of smaller stores that have folded and changed in this mall; some still sit empty. It's a true microcosm of what's been happening all over Orlando. And we're actually luckier than many other areas.