He couldn’t travel back in time — so this self-declared “90s kid” built a little piece of the past in his front yard.
Peter Goddard, 39, has become a minor celebrity in his neighborhood after constructing a miniature branch of the defunct Blockbuster Video chain adjacent to his home.
The classic film fan spent weeks creating the DVD library out of an old record cabinet — complete with light-up sign and popcorn — before throwing open the tiny doors to his neighbors in the town of Alderholt, England.
The school maintenance man and amateur film-maker said he was inspired by a neighbor who had recently put a free book library in front of their home. He decided to do the same thing for movies, where people could both borrow and bring their own.
“Growing up I really connected with films.I grew up in the 90s, so I always collected DVD’s and videotapes before that,” Goddard told South West News Service.
“When streaming came along, I did use it but if I really enjoyed a film I wanted to own it. I never really gave up on physical media,” he confessed.
“It seems strange to me that people in the younger generations don’t know about DVD’s. It makes me feel old now that many people don’t even know what Blockbuster was,” he said.
The finished product is painted the famous Blockbuster blue. It’s been covered in stickers of old movie posters and tricked out with lights. There’s even an illuminated Blockbuster sign on top — purchased from Etsy, Goddard said — and the ever-important sign, “Please remember to rewind!”
Snacks are also offered, as well as a “Must See Movie” section, just like at the old Blockbuster stores.
The chain was founded in 1985 in Dallas, Texas, closing up shop in 2014. There is one Blockbuster location remaining, now independently owned and operated, in Bend, Ore.
That store has snagged headlines for its limited-basis appearance on Airbnb, where lucky guests can spend a night in a cozy bedroom area right on the shop floor.
Goddard isn’t the first nostalgic homeowner to make his own dreams come true — a Los Angeles couple recently made the news for their own driveway mini-store.
“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,” homeowner Alyssa Kollgaard told Fox News.
Kollgaard’s “shop” rents out VHS tapes as well as DVD’s — but the former have to be kept indoors, due to the California heat, she said.
Meanwhile, Goddard’s project has received raves since opening in mid-May.
“A couple of people come down every night and I have had a few donations which is nice. The reaction has been really good,” he said.
“I 100% miss Blockbuster. There is a difference between picking a film on a streaming service and leaving the house to go to the DVD shop,” Goddard emphasized.
“There was more of an effort to see certain films, and a lot of enjoyment in browsing the aisles on a Friday night and making your decision about what film you are going to commit to for the weekend.”