Dearborn’s Borders Book Store to Close
We were hoping for the best but feared the worst and unfortunately the latter occurred.
Borders filed for bankruptcy and with that decision will close its Dearborn store as soon as this Saturday, according to some media reports. The store at Ford Road and Mercury is one of four in Michigan that will close, including stores in Utica, Grosse Pointe and the Arborland mall store in Ann Arbor. Its flagship store in Ann Arbor isn’t on the list.
This decision leaves Dearborn without a big name bookstore. But it could translate to more business for Dearborn Music at Michigan and Monroe and even my favorite used book store, Rodegher’s Used Books on Michigan, just west of east of Telegraph.
Here is The Detroit News story.
February 16th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Maybe Big Lots!2 will move in there…
February 17th, 2011 at 7:20 am
I’ve been going to the Dearborn location of Borders since 1993 or 1994. I was having a feeling the past several months that this couild be on the horizon. The last month or so were reports that Borders would go through bankruptcy.
It’s a tough business. Hell, even Barnes & Noble (which I go to regularly!) has/had been in the market for a buyer.
I am in the downriver area, and can go to the Borders that anchors a part of Southland Mall. But I will miss it in Dearborn, because of the connection.
February 17th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Great, a second possible location for Trader Joes.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
shame- but books are dying and they have a crap load of inventory costs– formula for disaster
February 17th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
How is it possible that a city with two major colleges and several smaller ones doesn’t have a book store? Except for Rodegher’s and the campus book stores at UMD and HFCC, book lovers in Dearborn are out of luck. The only ray of light here is that Border’s great location on Ford Rd. near Southfield Fwy. should ensure the building will be occupied quickly.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Selling books at retail in print copy is a dying business model. We buy lots of e-books for the I Pad and the printed copies we buy are from Amazon and Costco. Times are changing and successful business have to adapt and innovate.
February 19th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
It is true that brick-and-mortar bookstores are challenged to stay open…but, I have such fond memories of taking my daughters to Borders…we would spend hours seeking out books sometimes…when they were small, and the store was new, we attended book readings in the children’s section, and lectures on interesting subjects…we could always get treats at the coffee shop. I heard great music played there by visiting artists. Libraries aren’t libraries anymore, as they are filled with computers, and bookstores aren’t bookstores, because they are disappearing. Cuddling up with a small child while turning the pages of a book is such a magical experience, and I don’t see how an e-book can operate the same way. Can the artwork be as magical when it is on a screen, can the rhythm of Dr. Seuss’ language be as fun when you are NOT seeing the two-page spread of it? Ah, I know it is the future, but is it better than what we have had?
February 20th, 2011 at 8:25 am
What is automatically being assumed (and we will never know) is that Borders directors could have made past catastrophic decisions in terms of its finances, real estate, debt, salaries, etc. This ‘titanic’ was sinking well before the recession of 2008. The market decided and Borders will be gone soon enough. No other chain is coming to rescue Borders.
February 20th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
I am sad and shocked that we’re losing Borders, even though everyone says that bookstores are a dying breed. We should be fighting this – is the mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, the Dearborn Development Authority, and other organizations like this in touch with Borders to see what we could have done to stop this closing? Not only did our family love going to Borders, I also dread the thought of another vacant store in Dearborn. What is being done to keep current businesses in Dearborn and attract new ones? We have a lot of people who live, work, and visit Dearborn – stop giving the excuse “it’s the economy” when you try and tell us why we have so many vacancies.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:00 pm
There is nothing that anyone could do to save Borders it was one of the most poorly structured and managed corporations in the media business. Except for the Detroit News and Free Press