Free Blockbuster Box
Eastern Market / Wasserman Projects
3434 Russell St.
Dec. 24, 2025
Like a free library, but with VHS tapes. Leave a movie, take a movie.
That’s the idea behind the Free Blockbuster Box in Eastern Market (in the shadow of the new RoboCop statue). This box is a modified version of an old newspaper box that probably only knew copies of Autotrader before this new chapter of its life. It’s part of a movement of Free Blockbuster Boxes that first popped in Los Angeles. An estimated 200 are now up around the country.
I just found out about the one that has popped up on Russell Street. When I visited, it was appropriately restocked with some Christmas fare, including a pristine copy of “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and the TV classic “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”
Dig deeper and you’ll find a bunch of VHS copies of episodes of “Perry Mason.” Looking for more intrigue? How about a collector’s edition of “Columbo?”
The VHS tapes that really grabbed my attention visiting the Free Blockbuster Box today were the ones that were clearly taped at home and could contain anything. A white label that’s been scribbled over a few times to finally end up declaring that you’ll find “1st Wives Club” here, or “the last episode of Sex and the City.”
What a beautiful little concept. Something to scratch the nostalgic itch for someone like me, who still remembers fondly spending a Friday night walking up to an actual Blockbuster back in the day, spending an hour walking around and bringing home a rental, completely convinced and satisfied in the idea that this was as good as it gets.
It’s also a statement about actually owning your media, instead of renting it over and over from giant conglomerate media companies that can revoke your license to lease at any time.
It frightens me to think of a world where we lose our rights to watch, listen and learn.
Thankfully here in Detroit, when that time eventually comes, we’ll have a Free Blockbuster Box waiting for us with a copy of “D2: The Mighty Ducks.”