Borders Bankruptcy
 

For those who haven't heard, Borders has filed for a bankruptcy (reorganization). The actually have a site about it here including a list of stores that will be closed (about 30% of all stores nationwide). Note that the list of store closures is a PDF doc.

I tweeted this earlier, but back when I was in library school there was serious talk about how public libraries should respond to the rise of Borders and Barnes & Noble and whether public libraries would survive them.

Half of the answer realized (of course, they may still fall to Amazon, but we didn't know enough to ask that question so seriously).

Also, here's a Google map showing the closures, which might be easier to parse than a PDF list.

http://www.batchgeo.com/map/0cee7474...eba832b5f20bcf

Don't forget the jolly "Information for Shareholders" page...

Can't feel too bad for anybody caught holding shares. This was about the most predicted bankruptcy of the last decade so anybody caught was either not paying attention or speculating.

who operates the cafes in the USA ones ? In Australia it was Starbucks and now is Gloria Jeans.

2 closing in Hawai`i. But they're on the outer (more beautiful but more boring) islands.

Cannot believe they are leaving the location in Stonestown in SF and closing Union Square.

I suspect that it may be a matter of cost of lease. I don't know these two areas, but would Stonestown be cheaper rent than Union Square?

I've noticed the ones they are close around here tend to fall in the high-rent category

I thought the whole idea of the Chapter 11 filing was to get out of the real estate deals. Clearly, they don't want to screw over their vendors if they want to restructure. The $500 million line of credit was to keep the vendors shipping product.

Closing Union Square makes total sense.

(Or in fewer words: "what Kevy just said.")

And, frankly, almost all of the general books stores in the Financial District and Union Square area have closed in recent years (I think this will pretty much leave just Alexander Book Co. and the one in the Ferry Building) which suggests that maybe it isn't a good place for selling books.

So, American Borders stores don't have cafe's in them ?

I think Borders has Seattle's Best as their coffee provider.

They do indeed.
I worked there for a very brief time as the cafe manager.


I must admit that I kinda jumped the Borders ship two years ago. Doing the math, the Barnes and Noble card saved me money (even with the fee). It's also really near my house which is a mixed blessing...

I have always been a used bookstore and library person, if I can't get it or borrow it in town I use Amazon *shame*

Damn "My" borders is one of the ones to be closed. Bummer. I can't understand why. It must have gone downhill in the last couple of years since I was last there.

seattle's best is owned by Starbucks, just as an aside

Hmm....

Their coupons always annoy me because you can't apply them to any sale merchandise. They will revert the cost to regular price, then apply any coupon. Lame.

One of my friends is a manager of one of the locations that is closing. Sadness.

I really love Borders. I don't make it there as often as I used to (mostly due to finances), but I've spent a lot of time in Borders stores over the years.

The one I worked at in Yorba Linda is closing.
Mixed feelings about that. Most of those employees needed to go anyway.