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ENTRY
Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011
I'm an independent bookstore lover. Unfortunately, on Kauai there is a Borders and a small mostly used independent bookstore. The Borders is about a mile from my house, and the other is a half hour drive.
I'm at the Borders three or four days a week when I'm in town. I go there (and the attached Seattle's Best Coffee) to browse, buy books, write, read, and enjoy their AC. I gave a book reading and signing there, and have a few copies of Oh! on the shelves.
I know to some it's a sacrilege to even step foot in a Borders. The chain (along with the other large chain and Amazon) is blamed for putting many independent bookstores out of business. It is likely a fact that some stores went out of business because of Borders. And that isn't good. But many have survived, and that is because they had a good business model to compete. In any business there is always going to be attacks and problems to deal with.
I love independent bookstores, I love bookstores. So I go to Borders as I don't have a choice. Now Borders is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and they are closing 200 stores, including the one on Kauai. Some are rejoicing, but I will miss it.
© 2013
February 17, 2011
I'm an independent bookstore lover. Unfortunately, on Kauai there is a Borders and a small mostly used independent bookstore. The Borders is about a mile from my house, and the other is a half hour drive.
I'm at the Borders three or four days a week when I'm in town. I go there (and the attached Seattle's Best Coffee) to browse, buy books, write, read, and enjoy their AC. I gave a book reading and signing there, and have a few copies of Oh! on the shelves.
I know to some it's a sacrilege to even step foot in a Borders. The chain (along with the other large chain and Amazon) is blamed for putting many independent bookstores out of business. It is likely a fact that some stores went out of business because of Borders. And that isn't good. But many have survived, and that is because they had a good business model to compete. In any business there is always going to be attacks and problems to deal with.
I love independent bookstores, I love bookstores. So I go to Borders as I don't have a choice. Now Borders is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and they are closing 200 stores, including the one on Kauai. Some are rejoicing, but I will miss it.
© 2013
COMMENTS
Number of comments: 2
click here to add a comment
Gail
Have you read "A Novel Bookstore" by Laurence Cosse? It is a novel that makes an interesting commentary on one type of independent bookstore while making a larger commentary on publishing in general. I'd be interested in your take on it.
Todd
Thanks for the tip, Gail. I'll definitely read it and let you know my take.
click here to add a comment
Gail
Have you read "A Novel Bookstore" by Laurence Cosse? It is a novel that makes an interesting commentary on one type of independent bookstore while making a larger commentary on publishing in general. I'd be interested in your take on it.
Todd
Thanks for the tip, Gail. I'll definitely read it and let you know my take.
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April 21, 2013 (3)
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March 30, 2013 (1)
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Feb. 28, 2013 (2)
Review: Salvation of a Saint
January 19, 2013 (2)
2012 in review
December 30, 2012 (2)
Review: Ninja
September 30, 2012 (2)
Review: My Postwar Life
August 21, 2012 (1)
New interview with Colin Marshall
July 15, 2012 (3)
Book events
April 25, 2012 (2)
Subduction
March 14, 2012 (8)
Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012 (1)
Review: Plainsong
December 20, 2011 (3)
Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011 (2)
Haruki Murakami
October 5, 2011 (2)
Busyness and demons
September 25, 2011 (2)
Characters: The Bully
July 30, 2011 (3)
Review: Manazuru
June 28, 2011 (2)
Deadlines!
June 24, 2011 (2)
Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011 (1)
Review: Isle of Dreams
April 20, 2011 (2)
Cades Award for Literature press release
April 12, 2011 (2)
Japan and other news
March 29, 2011 (1)
Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011 (2)
2010 review
December 17, 2010 (6)
Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa
October 7, 2010 (2)
OH! wins best book award
September 23, 2010 (2)
Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)
Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)
Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)
Jose Saramago
June 18, 2010 (0)
Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)
Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)
Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)
Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)
Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)
J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)
2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)
Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)
Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)
Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)
Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)
Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)
Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)
The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)
October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)
Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)
The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)
The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)
Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)
Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)
Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)
Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)
The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)
"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)
John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)
2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)
Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)
Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)
The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)
David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)
Ending it all
September 12, 2008 (2)
The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)
Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)
"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)
Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)
Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)
Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
July 7, 2008 (7)
Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)
Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)
To be or not to be
June 10, 2008 (6)
Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)
Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)
The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)