I don't know if others feel this way, but hearing about Borders Bookstores closing made my heart sink. It was one of my regular haunts. I have many warm memories of the times I spent in Borders on South Lake in Pasadena, being at book signings, putting on a headset listening to music, hearing local bands play on Sunday afternoons, meeting people, the coffee shop, and participating in local store events.
Borders, like the Barnes & Noble stores, was notable in the 1990s for, essentially, putting many of the smaller boutique bookstores out of business. Although I love the independents, they had more books, more magazines, more media, comfy areas to sit and — they had coffee.
I can’t count the number of happy Saturdays spent browsing among the stacks. I never seemed to be able to get out of there in less than three hours, for there was always something delightful or interesting I just had to read.
But the Internet has eclipsed all that. There's now a generation of people who rely on the convenience of Amazon Prime. Readers who will trade in their print editions for digital Kindle books, which places the days of the great community bookstores clearly behind us.
Borders, was a slow sink. They tried to keep up, but, like today’s newspapers, another relic that I favored, they were tied to old business models and those models eventually pulled them underwater.
A bookstore has been a longtime faithful friend and companion to me. Saying good-bye will mean going through a moratorium.
So, for all those good times, I thank Borders.
Unfortunately a sign of the times. My favourite local restaurant "Nora's Bodega" Italian restaurant and Rosemary's have closed because of the economy. Now a world wide brand name, Borders has closed.
ReplyDeleteHow many will follow?
Does the demise of Borders have a lot to do with the digital age? When I first worked in the electronic communications for the RAF we had enough men to field a soccer team with reserves. When I left there would be just two staff.