'The life and death of' Borders

On the CNN website, there’s an interesting look at the demise of Borders, once one of the four biggest bookstore chains in the U.S. and Canada (the others being Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Indigo/Chapters)--and arguably the most passionately adored. Here’s an excerpt:

“Woolworth is long gone; few were saddened at its passing. Circuit City went belly up; silence. Great downtown department stores have vanished, changed names, disappeared to that Great Retailer in the Sky. (Jacobson's, the upscale department store that once occupied Borders’ East Liberty Street storefront [in Ann Arbor, Mich.], is but one example.) With rare exceptions--the late Atlanta newspaper columnist Celestine Sibley once wrote a valentine, 'Dear Store,' to the city's now-defunct retailer, Rich’s--the public yawns.

"They'll probably soon forget about Borders as well. To most of the country, it’s just another big-box chain, another in a series of disappearing strip-mall storefronts. Indeed, there’s an irony in its demise, for as Borders is blamed for killing off some local independents, now it has been done in by Amazon and the Internet. The circle may go ’round again: Former customers may turn to independents, if their towns have them. Or, if they rule out their local chain, maybe they’ll just go back to browsing on Amazon.

"A shame, because when done right, there’s something about a bookstore."

Read the full story, “The death and life of a great American bookstore,” at http://bit.ly/ndtuNK.

Comments

1mary wrote re: 'The life and death of' Borders on Mon, Sep 19 2011 3:36 PM What I miss about Borders is the open bright atmosphere that encouraged the mind to wonder and ponder whatever was the interest of the moment. You could wander with your thoughts alone or meet with others of like mind. It invited everyone to become more literate. They will be greatly missed.