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Date: 12/8/2021
WILBRAHAM – “We’re kind of old school here,” said Jeff Wingate, who owns Pop’s Biscotti and Chocolates with his wife Maria Ferraro Wingate, so when the couple had the chance to incorporate a relic of the 1990s into their sweets shop, the two jumped at the chance.
The husband-and-wife have owned their handmade biscotti and chocolate shop for a decade. Recently, they visited a taco shop in Ludlow, VT. and spotted a “Free Blockbuster.” Blockbuster video was a chain of movie rental shops that were ubiquitous in the 1990s and early 2000s. Similar to Free Little Libraries, the Free Blockbuster relied on donated movies that could be taken out for free and returned.
“I didn’t know if it was something they made up,” Wingate said, but the two were instantly charmed by the idea. After investigating it at https://www.freeblockbuster.org, the couple found that locations are popping up all over the country, though there are only two other locations in the region. They decided to make their shop the site of the third Free Blockbuster in New England.
“We remember going to Blockbuster on Friday nights, because that’s what you did,” Wingate recalled. Despite the popularity of streaming movies, Wingate said, “there’s something about picking up a movie and flipping it over and reading the back.” He also pointed out that the Blockbuster setup allows people to discover movies they would not have necessarily thought of searching for on a streaming platform.
There is a Free Blockbuster box outside the store, which is available whether the shop is open or not. Because they received so many donated movies to stock the Blockbuster, the couple has added a shelf inside, as well.
“We’re surprised at how well its doing,” Wingate told Reminder Publishing. He said people have been coming in to check out the Blockbuster since the first day they posted in on the business’s social media. It is driving repeat customers, as well.
“People are returning them, getting another one. We give out free movie-themed chocolate and a hot cocoa bomb with the ‘rental,’ too. Who doesn’t love free chocolate?” Wingate has also seen an uptick in sales of Popcornopolis brand popcorn sold at Pop’s.
Wingate said the couple plans to make the nostalgic movie outlet a permanent part of their business.
Pop’s Biscotti and Chocolates, 2341 Boston Rd., in the Wilbraham Shops, is open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They can be reached at 596-9339 and more information about the business is available at popschoclate.com.