A Fond Farewell …. Thank you for Shopping at Borders

reads the subject line of an email I got yesterday! Time to shed a tear for the disappearance of yet another retail icon.

Even as one can argue the underlying factors behind the demise of Borders, ranging from poor real estate decisions, over-emphasis on music, outsourcing to Amazon in the early days, much of which has been discussed already, one cannot help but feel a sense of sadness at the closure of a bookstore. Of course we like Amazon, and we like e-readers, and we like iPad-ready magazines, but there is something about a neighborhood bookstore that creates a sense of delight at discovering something interesting to read.

I was in Fremont recently at my son’s baseball game, and had about a couple of hours to wander around while warm-ups and practices were going on. I thought I’d pull out my handy iPhone, look for the nearest bookstore to visit, maybe spend an hour looking for something interesting in science fiction or maybe something new about Erlang — and shocking, there is not a single Borders (or Barnes and Noble) within 10 miles of the intersection of Stevenson and Civic Center Dr in Fremont. Where did they all go? There were some smaller bookstores, hopefully all of which are doing well, within about 5 miles, but none of the big ones. Then it strikes you, here you are in Northern California, in the bay area, arguably near great centers of technological innovation, surrounded by a population that by all accounts consists of relatively smart people — and no bookstore! I think I was profoundly dismayed at the time, regardless of the advances in technology, and portable, digital book reading, have I suddenly become such a fossil where a bookstore is no longer relevant in the lives of people?

Reading the email a few times, I cannot help but feel sorry for the thousands of people who work in bookstores, many of whom choose to do so as they are passionate about books. I cannot help but feel sorry for a generation of youth who will grow up without being able to visit a young readers section nearby. I cannot help but feel sorry for a nation that as advanced as it is, and as affluent as it is, cannot sustain a reasonably profitable business around a neighborhood bookstore. Clearly, I’m not here to critically examine whatever business practices or choices that may have contributed to Borders’ demise, I’m just sad for the loss of a simple opportunity to discover a book to read.

Turning to the Yelp application on my iPhone, I found that there was a Hobbytown nearby — well, maybe let me try that. Its been a while since I built a plastic model or worked on my model railroad, but maybe time to see if I could find an interesting WWII plane or a 60’s muscle car to build.

I drove to the Hobbytown near Mowry and Argonaut, only to find a sign at the front of the store — “Going out of business, all sales final, store closing!” *sigh*