Albert Lea’s Blockbuster store will be closing after 15 years at its location at 132 Bridge Avenue.

Owner Kevin Seeger of Minneapolis said he’s owned the store since it opened in 1997.

“We recently decided to close that location primarily because the Blockbuster brand is moving into more streaming and direct access through Dish Network,” Seeger said.

The store will be open from noon to 8 p.m. daily for a few weeks while its inventory is sold. Seeger said all movies, DVD and Blu-ray, all games, in multiple formats like Xbox, Playstation and others, and even fixtures, TVs and office supplies will be for sale. The sale started Tuesday, and large signs were seen outside the building.

“There will be additional markdowns daily, and it’ll be going on for a few weeks,” Seeger said. “There are all formats of games and DVD and Blu-ray movies from the newest releases to older favorites.”

Seeger also said all candy, pop and snacks are 50 percent off. He doesn’t have a confirmed date the store will close as it will depend on the liquidation sale.

Seeger, who also owns the Blockbuster on Riverfront Drive in Mankato, said he’ll be opening a Dish Network office in Mankato that will service Albert Lea and New Ulm.

“We’re really servicing a lot of our members through our Blockbuster Total Access, which is movies by mail or streaming online,” Seeger said.

He also said the industry is moving more toward instant access to movies and television shows through Blockbuster At Home, which is something available through Dish Network. Seeger said more information about the streaming programs can be found online at www.blockbuster.com.

“This is the direction the industry is moving,” Seeger said.