LAS CRUCES, Aug 18, 2009 (Las Cruces Sun-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Las Cruces' last Blockbuster video store closed its doors Monday, though it will open four days this week for a clearance sale, a company official said.

The store, 2603 N. Main St., will be the third to close in the past year in Las Cruces.

Doug Alexander, manager for Blockbuster's Albuquerque market, said the store is owned by a franchisee, Serendipity Entertainment Corp., and the decision to close wasn't made by Blockbuster itself.

"It's more on a personal level," he said.

But Alexander referred other questions about the decision to a communications director, who couldn't be reached for comment.

The store will open from 10 a.m. to at least 6 p.m. Monday through Friday of this week for a liquidation sale, Alexander said. All DVDs and video games will be sold for $5 apiece, while candy and sodas will go for $1 each, he said.

"We're just getting everything prepared," he said.

Serendipity Entertainment couldn't be reached for comment.

Anthony Luna, 20, and Ashley Galloway, 19, visited the location on Monday afternoon, hoping to rent some DVDs. Instead, they were met with locked doors, video posters covering up the windows and notices about the closure.

Luna's response: "That sucks." Galloway elaborated, saying they live in the neighborhood and the store happens to be the closest place to rent DVDs. She said the next closest location is Hastings on Lohman Avenue.

Galloway said she was surprised to learn of the closure.

"This place was always busy," she said. "They had 'Monday Madness,' and every movie was $1. It seemed pretty busy." Video rental stores have been facing heightened competition from online-bases companies, such as Netflix, and DVD-rental vending machines.

Blockbuster Video announced in June it planned to close 282 corporate-owned stores across the country this year. The effort was aimed at focusing attention on Blockbuster's online rental component.

Alexander said the Las Cruces store, because it was individually owned, wasn't impacted by that announcement.

Galloway said she preferred Blockbuster over an online rental store "because you don't have to pay for anything that's monthly. It's nice to pay at your leisure." With the closure, 13 employees will lose their jobs, Alexander said.

Notice was apparently sudden. An employee reached by phone said staff didn't know much about it. Alexander said he learned of the closure "within 24 hours." Though Galloway and Luna weren't able to rent a movie Monday, they might buy some films today.

"We'll get here first thing in the morning for the sale," Luna said.

The Blockbuster store at 1440 Missouri Ave. closed on Feb. 23 of this year. A store at 2010 E. Lohman Ave. shut its doors about five months before that.

According to the New Mexico Corporations Bureau, Serendipity Entertainment Corp., based in Kansas City, Mo., incorporated in New Mexico in 1990.

Bargain hunting --What: Blockbuster clearance sale.

--When: 10 a.m. through at least 6 p.m., today through Friday.

--Where: Blockbuster Video, 2603 N. Main St., Las Cruces.

--Info: (575) 527-5550.

To see more of the Las Cruces Sun-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lcsun-news.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.

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