Blockbuster was started by a man who wrote software for the oil industry.
David Cook’s company sold computer services to Texas oil and gas firms until the industry went bust. His wife, Sandy, a film fan, suggested renting videos, and in October 1985 he opened a store in Dallas with 8,000 tapes on open shelves, barcodes on every tape and membership card, and computers to keep track of them all.
Blockbuster on Brandseum