Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Borders to liquidate and close down.

A sad time. I hate to hear about any book stores closing. Technology is wonderful, but in my opinion books, real paper, ink and glorious covers will never go out of style. Don't get me wrong, I own a reader and download books all the time, but I do have some fav author's that I like to purchase in paperback.

So, when I heard the only book store in thirty miles of my home was going to go out of business, it broke my heart. I love that store. My mother and I go from time to time to have coffee and then browse through the shelves. My kids love to go with me to see what they can find and I always thought of it as a haven. Some place I could go and lose myself for a while. I love standing in front of the metaphysical section and drinking in all the titles.

I have to say, this is kind of like having an old friend move across the country. I understand some of the stores did little business, but our Borders was always busy. Like I said, the only book store for thirty miles. On weekends they had six cashiers working non-stop. Sighhhh, I hope another chain sees fit to take pity on our community and bring our beloved books back to the shelves.

I had always hoped to have signing in that store one day, some dreams are never meant to be realized I suppose.

As for the employee's, I wish them luck in finding another job. Our store had great people who knew what they carried and if they weren't sure didn't hesitate to get help or find what I wanted.

The debate over digital and print will rage for a while to come I suppose. In my world there is room for both. Sadly, my children's school isn't on the ebook bandwagon yet. They have a program called accelerated reading, where the kids are required to read and take a test on so many books a year, on their own time. Teachers don't allow them to read ebooks. So, the piddly library is now their only means to finding a book.

I know, order one you say. Keep in mind not everyone will read whatever you put in front of them. My kids have particular tastes and will not read unless it completely interests them. I have visions of hours spent on the computer hoping to find a book that will keep their attention. Again, sighhhhhhh.

How do you feel about the loss of book stores? Do you prefer digital reading, print, or both?

1 comment:

Jen B. said...

I have been so sad since hearing about this. I love both print and ebooks. I really hoped that Borders could pull it together but I guess it was just wishful thinking. The only other bookstore is B&N and I hate that store because the employees are so rude. Oh well, I guess I will internet shop until I can find another option.