I love books – printed on paper and bound together hold in your hand books. I am very discouraged that Borders is closing. They couldn’t get an investor who could outbid the liquidator so all remaining Borders stores will close starting most likely this Friday. They are expected to be completely out of business by the end of September.
There is a seeming contradiction in that people who like book stores did not like the idea of Borders and Barnes & Noble dominating the bookselling business but they will also bemoan the loss of Borders. It’s because of a love of diversity and options and also that any loss of book stores is a bad thing.
I wonder if this may, in a strange way and my wildest dreams, possibly lead to a good thing. There is now a dearth of book stores – well, there always was – as the Borders stores close. Presumably those areas are now underserved. From what I’ve read it was bad business decisions that led to the downfall of Borders, not a lack of customers. So, could this be an opportunity for independent book stores to move in, fill the vacuum and succeed?
I’d love to think that this was possible. I may not be optimistic enough to believe it completely, but I am optimistic enough to think that it’s a good opportunity. If I had the money I’d try it myself.
2 comments:
I'm a firm believer in independent bookstores, but it sure is tough to make a go of it.
I really did prefer Borders to B&N.
We've always had more B&Ns than Borders around here, but I did like the one Borders that was left.
As hard as it is, and as unqualified as I am, I'd still love to try to open a bookstore.
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