Greenwood’s Blockbuster Video has closed its doors — apparently for good.
The store, Greenwood’s last surviving national video franchise, is owned by Twin States Video of Tuscaloosa, Ala.
According to Thursday’s edition of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, the Blockbuster in Tupelo, also owned by Twin States, was closed Wednesday.
Attempts to contact Twin States Video on Friday were unsuccessful.
Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams said the closing caught her by surprise.
“They never call me when they go out of business,” she said.
Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September and closed more than 1,000 stores in 2009 alone.
The company posted a $517 million loss, despite $5 billion in sales that same year. When it filed for bankruptcy protection, it listed more than $1 billion in debts, according to the Daily Journal.
In April, Dish Network agreed to purchase Blockbuster’s assets at auction for $320 million.
Greenwood businessman Jimmy Henderson, who owns Highland Park, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
McAdams said the Greenwood Blockbuster, which had been located in the Highland Park Shopping Center for more than a decade, probably was the victim of a changing home video market.
“You’ve got Netflix and Redbox. You can stream Netflix to your TV at home. With Redbox, you can get a movie for a dollar. How can you beat a dollar? They just couldn’t compete,” she said.
However, Blockbuster still has a presence in Greenwood.
A Blockbuster self-serve video vending machine is located at the front entrance of Greenwood Market Place.
