I've heard rumors that Borders is closing -- Anyone know what if anything is going in there?

It will be placed by a Richard Snowden combined MegaDollarStore CashAmerica.

It will be replaced by a Richard Snowden combined MegaDollarStore CashAmerica.

ouch.

It ain't easy.

Especially if you operate a store where you let people gather up a lot of books, take them to the cafe, peruse them with their hot chocolates; I live a few blocks away and am such a one so I deliberately and regularly make modest purchases, almost always of the discount books, to help the store. Also, once you peel the discount coupon away and give say a photo book as a gift that has an original price of $40 printed on it that you picked up for $5 you look ever so generous!

A couple years ago the store ran an absolutely excellent free concert series and I got to see the amazing jazz violinist Caryn Lin among others but they did away with their community organizer staffperson who mounted these events.

So, I have a couple suggestions, and since i'm running for City Council, it can't hurt to make them public,right?

1. Ask to speak to the manager the next time you're in and ascertain the truth of the rumor- ask him or her what you can do to keep the store anchored there; I plan on it- my reading habit gets me there at least once or twice a week.

2. Consider using the store just a little less like a library, maybe buy a wee bit of stock in the company so you feel what it's like for someone to come in your store and cost your staff an hour to reshelve or mark down the books a patron inadvertently doggie-eared

3. Consider supporting the Free Library by becoming an advocate and by contributing to the Friends of the Free Library; hey, with sufficient funding maybe the libraries can put in cafes and keep more regular and later hours, especially in poorer neighborhoods where it's not uncommon for a sign to be put up, library closed, because of insufficient staff. You can do it here


And last, but not least, please consider supporting my run for City Council for the 8th district- I'm a registered Green AND I support bookstores and business in general- especially bookstores where I live in Chestnut Hill where they are outnumbered by banks 10 to 1.

Brian Rudnick
Environmental Educator, Community Activist, Lawyer and former operator of the "Book Street" Book and Newsstand in the Reading Terminal Market

Good suggestions, Brian. I'd certainly like to see this rumor confirmed or denied.

I do wish that Borders wasn't the only place (aside from Starbucks in Ch Hill) to go out for coffee and conversation with friends in NW Philly after about 7 PM, so I will miss them if they leave. Please, someone, correct me if I'm wrong about the lack of late-night cafes.

Can I mildly remind you that there is a wonderful independent bookstore in Mt. Airy that is owned by a local family? Big Blue Marble, or even Walk a Crooked Mile (in the Gowen train station) could use your patronage a lot more than Borders. Because of my late-night coffee needs, I don't want Borders to close down, but it would certainly be a boon for the two local indy bookstores. Hey, maybe if there was no Borders in Ch Hill the little shopping strip there could even support another indy bookstore. Wouldn't that be something.

Even though I don't like to buy from chain bookstores is there's an indy alternative, hats off to Brian for visiting a bookstore that is walking distance to his house. Better for the environment, right?

There are always many sides to every issue.

As tempting as it may be to think that if Borders closed it might pave the way for an independent bookstore, I don't think indy bookstore owners would feel the same. As an small business owner, I know if I were looking at neighborhoods to open a bookstore in, and I saw Borders closed in one, I'd think the neighborhood couldn't support a bookstore, and reconsider opening a location there. As much as we prefer our small independent businesses, any business closing sends signals about the viability of having a business in that neighborhood. Let alone specific types of businesses.

damn! i hope this isn't true. I liked Borders to get late night coffees (I wish -- hint hint -- that a late night coffeeplace would open up in the Mt Airy/Germantown/Chestnut Hill area), and then I'd hang out and read there (I'd buy books from them, as well as the indie stores like Walk A Crooked Mile... love that place!). Also I always frequent Borders in the summer when there's a heat wave and I have no air conditioning at home. It's a great place to cool off and read a book. I know I'm not the only person with no A/C doing that int his city either.

I had assumed they were doing well. Shame.

That makes sense. Good thing I'm not a small business owner. I would never think of all these nuances of how economically healthy an area is.

Wow - with that kind of "help" I can't imagine why a monolithic two-story book store sitting on an expensive chunk of real estate in Chestnut Hill would be struggling.

On the Manayunk thread, anytime anybody asks "What type of store does Main Street need?", the answer invariably comes back "bookstore!", (and Trader Joe's of course). Everybody wants a bookstore that they can drink coffee in, spread out a bunch of books/magazines/homework on a big table or in a comfy chair, and pass a few quiet hours. And they all want it for free. Sure, they'll actually buy an $18.00 paperback once out of every 7 visits, but what they're really looking for is a well-stocked library with coffee. I'm amazed it has lasted as long as it has.

This Borders has always seemed an odd-duck to me. Easy and ample parking is the life-bloood of any national retailer and I always found it to be a hassle at this store - so I'm sure that's not helping their situation.

__________________
"Life's tough, and it's a lot tougher if you're stupid." My Dad