Bye, Borders

Well, it happened. A few months after it downsized and closed multiple stores, Borders is now giving up the ghost for good. Read more in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. By the end of September, all the stores will be gone.

So now my lament from March becomes a eulogy today.

It's Not About the Books

The more reactions I hear from people about Borders going out of business, the more I realize one thing.

Borders may be a giant bookstore. But the sadness accompanying its closing is not about the books at all.

No, people went to Borders for the experience. They went to browse through new arrivals and to check out the staff's picks. They went to lose themselves in the possibilities: seeing a new release by a favorite author, discovering a brand-new author, finding a gem that they might never have stumbled across ("treasure hunting," as one fan called it today online), and holding those gems in their hands. They went for the ways that a bookstore stimulates the senses: warm lighting, endless colorful book covers, artwork on the walls, the subdued murmurs of other customers, and the smell of coffee from the cafe. They went to feel like part of a community of people who love reading and learning. They went to Borders to be alone, or to meet up with friends. They stopped in on first dates, or with their children, or to kill time before a movie. They stayed a few minutes, or they stayed for hours. It was a destination. For book lovers, it was hard to leave the store without buying a book, because the rows upon rows of bookshelves were just too tempting, and you had to throw yourself into them and see what they might hold for you.

You can get books online. But you can't get those experiences online. And sure, you might get the same experiences at Barnes & Noble, or at a neighborhood bookstore. But Borders had so many locations all across America that, for many people, it was the only bookstore in the area. For many people, losing Borders means losing the bookstore experience for good.

It's sad news, Borders. We'll miss you.