Bye-bye, Borders

The first time I went to a Borders, Kip Winger was giving an in-store performance. Yeah, that Kip Winger.

Is it any surprise I became a big fan of the store?

Years ago, when I was in a long-distance relationship, I spent many a lonely Friday night (remember when the big bookstores used to stay open until 11 p.m.?) at Borders, drifting from aisle to aisle, searching for new books by trusted authors, reading up on the sexual compatibility of Cancers, sucking down an Oreo Javakula at the in-store Seattle’s Best. So when I found out last week that Borders is closing all its stores in Austin, my first reaction was extreme disappointment. My second? “Oooh, I bet they’re having some great sales. Better get over there before it’s too late.”

I went to two of the three Austin stores this weekend, and everything was at least 70 percent off. I ended up buying eight books. A couple of them were actually on my wish list on Paperbackswap.com, which is pretty exciting. A few more were by authors whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past. Only one book was a completely random purchase (although I did check the Amazon reviews on my iPhone in the store before buying it; they were passable).

Total cost: $28.66. Not terrible.

I was pleased with my haul, but I have to say, a bookstore going out of business is a depressing sight. They’d placed all the picked-over books in the middle of the store, surrounded by a massive expanse of nothingness. Huge, glaring clearance signs were everywhere. Even the nicked bookshelves were for sale. And I realize I’m absolutely part of the problem. If I buy a book new, it’s usually from Amazon (or, worse, from the Barnes & Noble across the street from my house). I would say I can’t remember the last time I went to BookPeople, our local bookseller, except I do remember and it was only a couple of weeks ago – but that was at my boyfriend’s urging, and I didn’t buy anything (he did, at least, but I can’t take credit for that. Oh, wait, I drove us there! Phew. There’s my contribution).

I felt properly shamed.

So long, Austin Borders, and thanks for all the books.