Goodbye Blockbuster: Iowa City Movie Rental Store to Close (Photos)

It's the end of an era.

The Blockbuster video rental store in Iowa City is closing in the spring.

Poster signs indicate DVD's, videos and video games, along with shelving and other odds and ends are discounted and "must go." The clear out indicates the end is near.

Four of the five remaining Blockbuster locations in Iowa are closing this spring, likely in April. Blockbuster locations in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City and Muscatine are closing, while the Blockbuster location in Ankeny will remain open.

This ends a 20-year run in Iowa for the one-time retail giant. Redboxes, Netflix and other streaming services have dampened the demand for a bricks and mortar store that focuses on hard copy rentals.

The decision follows an announcement in January by Dish Network Corp. that it would close about 300 Blockbuster stores across the country and lay off about 3,000 employees, according to the Des Moines Register.

In Iowa City, other video rental storms have already closed up shop, including Mr. Movies. The numbers are shut off for Hollywood Video and That's Rentertainment.