Show's Over for Belmont Blockbuster

Slowly the shelves of DVDs, Blu-rays, video games, candy, soda and movie paraphernalia are emptying, as Blockbuster video store at the corner of Ralston Avenue and El Camino Real prepares to close its doors for good.

"Everything Must Go" signs are posted on everything from movie shelves to store fixtures and TVs. 

The video retailer is closing 11-13 of its Bay Area stores; many have already shut down. The Daly City store was the most recent, closing in November.

Assistant store manager Elizabeth Mantha explained the reason for the closure that the property lease was too expensive and that Blockbuster is "in competition with itself," with its online movie ordering service, dollar boxes and soon-to-be-released streaming video service via Dish Network.

The seven full and part-time Belmont Blockbuster employees were notified of the store closure a few days before Christmas. They were told they'd have their jobs until the store closed up for good in mid-March.

Mantha said that all of the employees, herself included, have second jobs, or go to school, so the closure isn't so great an impact on them.

"I also work at Roundtable Pizza in San Mateo," said employee Mevlut Boga, so I'll just try to get more hours there." 

Boga added that the store is making more money now on the sale of merchandise than it ever did on rentals. 

"We're selling everything down to the carpet," said assistant manager Mantha.  

"Right now everything is 10 percent off, but prices will drop every week," she explained. The sale began December 27, and Mantha said they were busy last week due to the Christmas holiday. 

Both Mantha and Boga told Patch that they heard a bank (Chase) would take the place of the large video store on Belmont's most prominent corner. The City of Belmont would not confirm, nor deny this rumor.

"Chase Banks have gone into many of the other closed Blockbusters," said Mantha.