Blockbuster has survived in the most curious of places — Alaska

For families across the United States, driving to the local Blockbuster Video was a Friday night ritual. The kids fought over which movies to rent, parents had to pay off the late fees and all succumbed to the popcorn and candy buckets at the register.

Blockbuster once operated 9,000 stores nationwide, bringing in $6 billion in annual revenue at its peak. In 1989, a new Blockbuster was opening every 17 hours. But the image of the blue-and-yellow ticket stub logo now merely evokes nostalgia and memories of a time before Netflix, before online streaming, before some laptops eliminated DVD players altogether.

After a long decline, the video rental business declared bankruptcy and its new parent company — Dish Network — began closing all remaining retail locations in 2013. Netflix had won, and Blockbuster was dead. Or so Americans thought.

At least 10 known Blockbuster stores across the country have managed to stay afloat in the digital age. However, the largest cluster of Blockbuster stores are not on the mainland, but in Alaska, where dark, long winters and expensive WiFi have helped maintain a core group of loyal customers.