When a Borders opened in the central Jersey suburbs in the early 1990s, it was a revelation. To those of us who grew up thinking a "bookstore" was a nook in the mall that was stocked only with bestsellers, the range of books at Borders was staggering. My friends and I actually took out-of-towners to see it, and often they were so impressed that they bought the store's T-shirt as a souvenir. I don't think many people remember how limited our book-browsing options were outside of cities and major cultural centers prior to both the Internet and the spread of Borders and Barnes & Noble superstores.
Sad. I remember the very first Borders, in Ann Arbor in the 1970s. I used to shop there almost daily.
ReplyDeleteWhen a Borders opened in the central Jersey suburbs in the early 1990s, it was a revelation. To those of us who grew up thinking a "bookstore" was a nook in the mall that was stocked only with bestsellers, the range of books at Borders was staggering. My friends and I actually took out-of-towners to see it, and often they were so impressed that they bought the store's T-shirt as a souvenir. I don't think many people remember how limited our book-browsing options were outside of cities and major cultural centers prior to both the Internet and the spread of Borders and Barnes & Noble superstores.
ReplyDeleteMy wife works at one, so I'm doubly bummed. Their biggest mistake has been to drastically reduce book inventory. I haven't browsed there in years.
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