Just as Daryl Dixon systematically kills off the walking dead with his crossbow, the final blow has also been delivered to brick and mortar video stores in Wagga.

The city’s last remaining video store at Kooringal Mall will shut its doors at the end of the month. It follows a procession of once-buzzing video outlets, with two other stores shutting down last year.

Until now, Blockbuster Kooringal owner Brian Judd was last man standing. He boasted 10 employees and had more than 20,000 movies under his belt.

“It’s really, really sad,” Mr Judd said.

“It’s sad not only for my employees, but the people of Wagga. If people want a movie, they will have to turn to the internet or they will have to buy it. It’s the end of an era.”

The store fought for its survival in an internet-dominated landscape and as recently as last month moved to subscription-based rentals – the same pricing method used by streaming giants.

Mr Judd said he had seen some success with subscriptions, and the store remained profitable, but cited family as the ultimate reason for the store’s closure.

“It’s been a hard decision, but I need to get home to Albury and spend time with my family,” Mr Judd said. “We just want to say thanks to all the people that did support us.”

Reflecting on industry changes, Mr Judd recalled a time when Wagga boasted eight video rental stores. He singled out illegal downloads as one of the industry’s biggest killers.

“It’s the fact that people don’t believe downloading is illegal, and it’s not treated as illegal,” Mr Judd said. “It’s wiped out an entire industry.”

The store will cease trade on October 25 – and will from then hold a two-week DVD fire sale to clear stock.

There are an estimated 650 video stores nationwide – down from more than 2000 in 2009.