Borders Will Be Missed

For many years, Borders bookstores have been a staple in different communities and have provided a wide variety of reading material, music and movies to its customers. Many of the stores are large and contain coffee shops that make going to the bookstore a more fun experience. The atmosphere inside a lot of these bookstores made it easy for customers to come back again and again.

This past week, the financially strapped company announced all of the Borders bookstores were going to close. After failing to catch up to other big bookstores in the market and falling behind in debt, Borders decided to liquidate its assets and close it's doors.

Upon hearing the news, I couldn't help but realize how much I will miss going into the location in Solon when it finally closes it's doors for the last time. The Borders in Solon has been there since I was a middle school student and it saddens me that it will be gone soon.

During my first trip there, I couldn't believe the size of the place and the wide variety of books. You could find just about any book you wanted and the CD and DVD collection was also extensive. The place was clean, it was quiet and I knew I would be going in there again and again over the next several years.

As I grew older and could drive up there on my own, I enjoyed going in there at times to read the comic books in the cafe, search through the collection of graphic novels they had or pick up a Stephen King novel or sports book. There was never a time the place seemed empty and there was always a line at the counter for people looking to pay for their new found treasures. The place always seemed to be hopping with activity and drew in a lot of people.

When I moved away to go to college, I didn't get a chance to go into Borders often but found the place still busy with activity when I came home on breaks. I noticed more high school students using the cafe to get studying done but always found the line at the checkout counter still had lots of people waiting to pay for their items. It never ceased to amaze me how busy the place was after all of those years and how it became a place for many students to get their homework done.

Even though Borders will be shutting its doors one final time in the near future, I can't help but think of how much fun it was go in there. It was great to see people inside there, the wide selection of books and the incredible atmosphere. I know the store will be gone soon but the memories I have of going in there will always remain.