February 19, 2011
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Chapter 11
This morning I headed down to one of the two Borders that we have in our fair city. Borders, of course, has just filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and is going through reorganization. Both Borders here in DC are closing. While in general I buy more books from my lovely indie bookstores here (I love supporting local businesses) or Amazon (I love getting books delivered to my door), I can’t help but to feel a little bit nostalgic about losing Borders. Let’s face it, I love just about anywhere that sells books.
I was actually a little surprised that this particular Borders is closing. It’s about two blocks away from the White House, so the location is wonderful. According to all of the emails that I’ve seen, they’ve had a lot of author signings and such there recently. According to the guy at the checkout, they’re usually one of the top grossing stores in the region. I realize that rent has to be astronomical for that area but such is real estate in the Nation’s Capital.
I’ve always loved the lovely smell combo of coffee and books. There’s no other smell like it and it really smells like home to me. The cafe in the Borders that I went had already closed so that smell was already missing. It was a little sad.
The books were 20% off today so I did pick up a few books. I’m a sucker for a sale.
Here’s what I picked up:
1. Rebecca by Daphne DuMarnier
2. The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato
3. The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato
4. A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans
5. Roses by Leila MeachamI’m hopeful that Borders is able to reorg and maybe come back to the District. Even though throughout this harsh economic climate, we’ve had a lot of places that have closed, we’ve been spared more than many other parts of the country.
Are any Borders closing near you? Will you be hitting up any of the sales?
Comments (9)
I’m not sure about the borders near me, but that sucks about the one near the White House. I went there to buy a Glee CD.
I’ve missed chatting with you! Yes, I saw that recently about Borders filing for bankruptcy. Another victim to the Internet, and its great deals.
So, did you ever post wedding pics? Did I miss them?
There are a few borders in NYC that are closing. I always preferred the atmosphere to B&N, but I hate that you have to pay for their membership discount card. I completely forgot to go to Borders today to see if any of them are having fire sales, and your post reminded me! Thanks!
No Borders near me in the first place, other than the hotly disputed one with Cambodia. Ha ha… =D
Seriously, though, it is a shame to see brick and mortar stores closing in favor of internet bought and distributed books, but such is the march of capitalism. Businesses must find ever more efficient ways of doing things in order to survive, right?
Interestingly, I have to wonder whether the winners in all this might not be the independent, smaller stores? They may be more able to find a particular niche and differentiate themselves in a way that a Borders or B&N cannot.
Yes, the Borders in Clearwater is closing. Don’t think I’ll hit up the sales, trying to save money and bookshelf space. I cleared out a lot of books with the idea of the move coming up, so I’ve been hitting the library the last few months.
I’ll have to look, though I know where it is now! Haven’t hit the sales yet…won’t today because we’re due to get a foot or more of snow. … just looked, the one closest does not say ‘closing’ while the others in the area will be. I also know where the B&N is – same distance, different direction. Amazon is my friend, but I love the feel of any bookstore or library. I got my library card yesterday!!!
@stupid_systemus - Yeah, that one is huge.
@i_was_there_and_back_again - Gah! I haven’t posted pictures yet. I really need to. We’ve almost been married for 6 months. Maybe that will be my blogging goal for today or tomorrow (I’m off tomorrow).
@pax_intus - Yeah, you should be able to check on Borders.com to see if any places are closing around you.
@christao408 - At least in DC, the indie bookstores seem to have almost a cult-like following. We have some really wonderful stores here. I’m hopeful that they may benefit from places like Borders shutting down. I’m just not sure how many new readers they’re going to win. It seems part of Borders’ downfall was that so many people have moved towards ebooks, kindles, and ipads.
@endlesssummer128 - I totally understand. I really don’t have a whole lot of room either, especially because our new place is a lot smaller than our old place.
@travelerblue - I would be broke if I got all of the books I read through the bookstore. The library is my friend
i’m a sucker for my kindle! it’s the greatest toy ever! however, boarders always sucks me in for books, games, puzzles, magazines, and those nifty little “learn-it” boxes for $10 for my students. i can spend hours in there trying not to waste all of my petty cash on the boys.
I don’t know of any Borders closing near me, but I heard that the massive Borders at White Flint Mall is closing.
I’m not planning to hit any of the sales as most of the reading I’m doing involves either coursework or proofreading/fact-checking for my hobby…