Nostalgia sleepover alert: The last Blockbuster is a pop-up Airbnb

When I was a kid, Friday night was movie night.

That meant a trip to our local Blockbuster video store and a three-hour battle of wills with my mother and brother over what to watch. Battles aside, we loved that temple of pop culture – when our one closed in the early 2000s, I was gutted.

Back in the day, if anyone had told us we could stay the night in a Blockbuster, my brother and I would have had our bags packed and be asking for the key in a heartbeat.

That’s exactly what a few lucky folks in Oregon will get to do this month when the last Blockbuster in the world opens as an Airbnb, for three nights only.

Located in Bend, Oregon, the last functioning Blockbuster on earth is usually a tourist attraction.

Like many businesses, however, it’s been struggling due to the pandemic and statewide lockdowns. The store has been supported by the community that loves it, so the owners came up with a unique way to say thanks: a (socially isolated) sleepover.

And here’s the kicker – there are no beds or bedrooms in the Airbnb listing… it’s just a hella comfy living room to binge watch any VHS or DVD in the store, all night long. Rad!

There is a fold-out sofa in front of the huge TV, for maximum all-night movie marathon comfort.

As the listing says, “you’re booking a night back in the 90s”, because one overnight stay will cost just US$4 ($6) – the same as the cost of renting a movie, back in the day.

“As the last standing location in the world, our BLOCKBUSTER store is an ode to movie magic, simpler times and the sense of community that could once be found in BLOCKBUSTER locations around the world,” the owners state in the listing.

Along with the pull-out couch, there will be bean bags, pillows and an easy chair.

Guests will be able to watch actual VHS tapes of 90s “new releases”, chug back a Pepsi, and stuff themselves with Nerds, chocolate raisins and buttery popcorn – all part of the package.

The “lounge” area is decorated in a classic 90s style too, right down to the Memphis Design style rug and duvet cover. A nostalgia junkie’s dream.

“The store is all yours for the night! So let loose, blast the boombox and wear your favorite ‘90s denim so that you feel right at home in another era.”

Pop-up Airbnb’s have proven popular in recent years.

In October last year, six Barbie fans had the opportunity to live out their Malibu Barbie dreams in the pinkest of pink palaces.

The home came complete with a giant pink pool slide, and a packed walk-in wardrobe of classic Barbie work clothes, from an astronaut’s space suit, to a doctor’s coat, to an engineer’s uniform.

In September, 2019, Highclere Castle, the main filming location for the Emmy Award-winning drama Downton Abbey, opened it’s doors to Airbnb.

The lucky guest could play lord or lady of the manor in the Hampshire Estate for one exquisite night.

Airbnb knows how much weird and wonderful places to stay appealed to people – before the pandemic, anyway. The company offered a grant to folks building unusual or outstanding homes they would be happy to list with the site.

This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz