Farewell Borders…
Last night I attended the closing sale of Borders UK – a company which has gone into receivership and finally closed it’s doors on 22nd December 2009. It was a grim picture – with everything selling for 90% off, the scene was one of carnage. Books were placed randomly on the few shelves that were left, and crowds of people were pushing past one another to see what they could find.
I wonder, if the crowds with such enthusiasm for buying books had been in Borders a few months ago, perhaps such a scene might not have occurred? Of course, I like a bargain as much as the next person, but my 11 books for just over £8.00 left me more with a sense of sadness than triumph. My bagging a bargain has happened at the expense of one less place to browse for books, one less shop to disappear into and not come out of for hours, and one less place that I can escape the world and indulge my passion.
Of course, I hold my hand up – I do most of my book shopping either at second hand places or on Amazon. The cost of living in London is pretty expensive and so I need to watch my pennies where I can and books aren’t exactly cheap. But with the world moving online, coupled with a pretty dire recession, it is little wonder that a place like Borders couldn’t survive. I wonder what this says for the future of high street retailers? What with price cuts from the massive supermarket chains, internet retailers and a general reduction of how far money goes, it will be interesting to see.
I, for one, am still hunting for a local independent bookstore, although they are becoming rarer and rarer by the day. I am happy to give my loyalty to a small bookshop over and above Amazon or Tescos, but the reality is, if a large chain like Borders UK can’t survive, what hope has an independent got? Does anyone else pine for the experience of walking into a bookshop and being greeted by the owner or shop assistant who says they have just finished a book they know you will love? Perhaps that is what social media is supposed to replace? I don’t know – it just doesn’t quite feel the same.
This is going to sound sentimental, but I lovingly removed those 11 books from the Borders bags when I got home and carefully took off the SALE stickers which they were festooned with. I then placed them in alphabetical order on my library bookshelves, ensuring each one was snug and visible for when I next wander in to find what I am going to read. I see it as my tiny rescue mission for 11 books which had been left on the sinking ship.
Yes it will be interesting to see what happens with the newer generations of readers with more people taking up technology. Currently trying o renovate my library to look like a victorian gentlemans study. But I will need books damn it.