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Briefs: Menlo Park Blockbuster to close its doors

by Sandy Brundage

It's lights off for Menlo Park's Blockbuster video store at 3532 Alameda de las Pulgas in West Menlo Park. The store plans to shut its doors on Feb. 19.

The closure follows in the wake of others across the United States after the franchise filed for bankruptcy and sold its assets to DISH Network in April for an estimated $320 million.

DISH spokesman Aaron Johnson said the franchise remains committed to maintaining only those stores that can turn a profit. In general, he said, "Stores can close for a number of reasons, such as the store reaching the end of its lease, a store may be too large in size, or property owners may be unwilling to reach a reasonable lease renewal."

As many employees as possible — each store employs 8 to 12 on average, according to Mr. Johnson — will be relocated to other stores, he said.

The manager of the Menlo Park store declined to comment on how many employees the closure will affect and said the store's inventory is being sold.

Art in Action wins honors for education

Art in Action, the nonprofit art education organization based in Menlo Park, has been selected as the recipient of the Diamond Award for the Arts Organization of the Year by the Peninsula Arts Council.

The Peninsula Arts Council is a nonprofit founded to advance the arts in San Mateo County. Each year it presents the Diamond Awards to recognize local contributions to the arts by artists, educators, volunteers, foundations and corporations. The award ceremony will take place Feb. 2 at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame.

Art in Action, founded in 1982, helps students at local schools learn art history, appreciation and skills.