Borders going out of business!

The 40-year old book company will be closing all of its remaing stores. The liquidation may begin as soon as Friday. All stores will be closed down by September 30. I am a little sad because I bought many of my mother's Christmas presents here including a DVD of the Albert Finney version of "Scrooge." It's sad that no one really cares about buying books in stores anymore. As a kid I loved sitting down and looking at many books and seeing which ones I wanted to buy. I also got all of my "Harry Potter" books there except for the last one, which I bought while I was on vacation in Europe.


Bookseller Borders to go out of business

Updated On: 7/18/11 at 07:49 PM

Daily newspapers are next.

Take heed:

Detroit News/Free Press
Chicago Tribune
Miami Herald
Toronto Star
Any city with a paper called the Picayune (sp?)

And finally, any other paper named the Post or the Times.

Are you listening Washington and New York????

NO! There is one just a block away from my house and they know me by name. I love that place.

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Once all the book stores close, how are people expected to discover new authors and new books? Browsing is becoming a thing of the past.

The physical book, maybe. But they'll still exist in digital format and probably in larger numbers since it will be so cheap. But even then, how are people supposed to find them? Looking online at lists if titles is much different from looking at the spine or the cover of a book, being able to flip through it and decide if you want to read it.

Very true, Jordan.

But I wonder, also, if books disappear, has anyone studied the long-term effects of prolonged reading on a screen? I know it certainly is harder on my eyes than reading a book.

It's all very depressing--- but that's progress (or what people call progress.)

Absolutely, and I don't buy nearly as much music as I did before for the same reason. I have no idea it exists.

And as for browsing on Netflix goes, I hate it. Love the service hate how everything is arranged. They should let you custom design your brewing settings. I want to see all of the new releases, dramas, comedy etc (cover art) in alphabetical order and not from what's rated highest down. I appreciate their suggestions but let me look for things in a way that I'm used to doing an LIKE doing.

The things they show you are all things you know about anyways. The ONLY "online" service that introduces me to artists I've never heard of is Pandora, and I love it for that.

I don't think I have honestly browsed a bookstore in years unless there was a specific topic I was looking for in non-fiction/gay and lesbian/travel/psychology sections. I was much more likely to go online and search for what I wanted and maybe then go to the bookstore to get it. I enjoyed browsing for magazines there, though. There were many magazines you would never find anywhere other than a big bookstore. Seriously, where will I buy Out and Curve now?

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Oh, it definitely didn't die overnight. It was a long, slow, painful death.

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"Borders has steadily been declining. First the cafe had less of a variety and became smaller, then the CD selection dwindled to a "Top Ten" selection. Then the reading chairs disappeared and the clerks weren't familiar with the stock. Although I used to regularly patronize Borders, I stopped going there because it had become a shadow of its former self."

Dolly-you hit the nail on the head. I remember when Borders stores were places you could spend hours discovering new music and authors and all the employees loved music and literature. I didn't mind paying list price for the quality of service and selection.

Now I never do to a Borders unless they emailed a 40% off coupon and even then they never stocked what I was looking for. Sad.

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Borders reaps what they sew. I hate to see any bookseller close but let's not forget the Barnes & Noble and Border's strategy of moving near independent booksellers to put them out of business, B&N would often shut down after closing all the indies in a town. This Borders deal has nothing to do with the iPad and everything to do with Amazon. And I would like to point out that here on BWW for years when people would announce dirt cheap cast recordings and theater books on Amazon I would always put in a plug for independent music shops and bookstores. How could they possibly expect to compete when Amazon often sold things for less than the indie stores paid for them?

So now browsing is limited to libraries and those who read book reviews. In fact, in order to find new things to read, you may have to, you know, read. Look for interviews with authors you love talking about authors they love. Thirty years ago I read every book Truman Capote recommended in the essay he wrote where he interviewed himself.

As for music, I read publications that have articles about new and notable and underground music I might like and 8 out of 10 times when I search the bands on YouTube, there's something for me to hear. Yes, it's an effort, but that's what it's come to.

Me, I've never once bought a book or CD from Amazon, I knew what it was doing to local economies from the get-go, The US only has itself to blame.

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Updated On: 7/19/11 at 12:24 AM

Another casualty of "progress"

It will really hurt when Strand goes.

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