RichmondSFBlog reader Tracey sent me the news this weekend that the Blockbuster Video store at 5240 Geary Street near 16th Avenue is closing down.
The last night to rent movies will be this Thursday, February 24. They’ll then begin selling their stock of movies and games, with plans to close the store completely by mid-April.
Blockbuster Inc. filed for bankruptcy in September 2010, and just last week was back in court over past-due rent on some of their stores.
Given Blockbuster’s financial situation and declining sales in the last few years, it’s not that surprising that the Geary store is closing down.
But given the number of empty storefronts we have in the neighborhood, this is a tough blow.
Sarah B.
Oh no! I will sorely miss the Blockbuster on Geary. The people who work there are really nice and helpful.
OK, first off, it’s not even worth it to rent from Blockbuster. Second, if a store is closing, you should NOT be renting from it since you may be tempted to keep the rental(s) and Blockbuster can and will hunt you down for that.
I feel like that complex has a lot of potential, but it’s just always been a little too dingy. The Merrill’s/Rite-Aid/Walgreens is responsible for probably 90% of the times I’ve been there. The only significant change I’ve seen in 20+ years is that they started charging for parking (well, I guess the Domino’s in “new,” comparatively). I hope someone’s finally able to turn it around.
It’s a pretty awful looking building and it takes up a whole block! It would be nice to get a grocer in there.
It’s definitely one of the weirder layouts around. It’s not very outward-facing. There are windows along Geary, but they’re a bit odd in that the inside is much lower than the sidewalk. The walls along the avenues are just blank. The corners, where you usually find large windows and welcoming entrances (like on every other corner in the area), are also just brick walls. The main entrance is a bit of a cave.
I guess the idea was that everyone would arrive by car to the garage, and that the exterior entrances weren’t that important.
@Nomo Blockbuster: What a bunch of nonsense. A company that is in bankruptcy and is closing its stores left and right “can and will hunt you down.” Hilarious, thanks for the laugh. Idiot.
As for the location itself, it’s a dump and always has been. The stairwell smells like piss, the elevator is always broken, the parking is expensive and dirty, and there are always panhandlers and chainsmokers clogging the main entrance off of Geary. The place needs to be demolished and turned into something decent.
Instead of demolishing the place why don’t they spend some money on cleaning it up and hiring some security so the trash and dinginess will be cleaned up.