An online petition calling for the former Blockbuster Video location on the Sunset Strip in Georgian Bluffs to be designated as a heritage site is garnering some attention.
More than 1,200 people have now endorsed a Change.org petition started by Andrew Stuart. It was launched over four months ago, but those signing on to support the idea of designating the old Blockbuster location on 10th Street West a heritage site picked up steam in recent days after the petition was featured in the Toronto Sun.
Right now, however, it’s nothing more than a fun idea.
Georgian Bluffs Mayor Dwight Burley says there’s been no formal petition submitted and notes the township does not have a Heritage Designation Registry.
In the online petition, Stuart presents the vision of the abandoned video-rental store serving as an historic site that could provide tourism for the Owen Sound area.
“This site is of great importance to millions of people across the globe who grew up with this icon,” Stuart writes. “Imagine getting to share the magic of Blockbuster with future generations by keeping this potential museum intact.”
Blockbuster Canada closed all of its locations nationwide in 2011 following years of revenue decline, as viewers shifted to online streaming.
The former store just outside of Owen Sound still sits in pristine condition, covered with signage and the blue and yellow Blockbuster branding familiar to so many movie lovers from the 1990s and early 2000s.
Bend, Oregon is said to be home to the only remaining Blockbuster in the world still operating.
Bayshore Broadcasting News has yet to confirm who owns the former Blockbuster building on 10th Street West.
Attempts to reach Stuart for additional comment have not yet been successful.
