VIDEO STORE PRESSES THE STOP BUTTON

THE Gold Coast will lose a piece of retro history when one of Australia’s oldest video stores shuts up shop after 35 years of trade.

The Blockbuster store at Palm Beach is one of the Coast’s last DVD rental shops and will sell off more than 10,000 titles as it prepares to close its doors forever.

Patrick Smith bought the store in 1983 – his first of 18 video outlets. And it will be the last store he closes.

“I was riding the wave in the early days,” he said.

“Video shops generated so much money.”

In 2001 there were 2600 video stores nationally, but due to the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Stan the number is now believed to be less than 750.

On the Gold Coast, Leading Edge Video at Currumbin Waters is one of only a handful of video stores still operating.

Sue Brown has owned Leading Edge Video at Currumbin with her husband Pete since 1999 and said they had tried selling other locally made products in the past five years to stay afloat.

“It’s a struggle,” she said. Blockbuster Palm Beach will begin selling all of its 10,000-plus DVDS from tomorrow.

Picture: MIKE BATTERHAM Staff member Michelle Mayne at Blockbuster Palm Beach, which is about to shut its doors for good.