  Riley484 Member Username: Riley484 Post Number: 14 Registered: 05-2008 |
dang http://www.freep.com/article/2 0090128/ENT1004/90128077/Downt own+Borders+store+to+shut+down | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3412 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yeah, I guess there are no independent booksellers there to compete with, so it's clearly time to pull out.  | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1331 Registered: 11-2003 |
I go there about once a week and buy stuff. I guess not anymore in July. That's a shame. Hopefully, like the Starbucks leaving, something replaces it. If Barnes and Noble moved in, I'd buy their silly reward card because I'd use it. Or, an indie with a good imported/international publication selection. Then it'd be an improvement! | ||
Riley484 Member Username: Riley484 Post Number: 15 Registered: 05-2008 |
I doubt Borders will be around much longer anywhere. There stock is trading a 50 cents. They're in danger of getting delisted. Hopefully something else takes the spot before too long after they leave. | ||
Sharmaal Member Username: Sharmaal Post Number: 848 Registered: 09-2004 |
I believe that the space will be filled by a discount book outlet. Sort of a TJ MAXX for books. This is what I heard a few months ago. | ||
Eastsideal Member Username: Eastsideal Post Number: 240 Registered: 10-2007 |
Bookstores everywhere are really struggling. B&N has even closed several of its big Manhattan stores in NYC. Still, this is a blow to downtown, and may well again leave Detroit without a new book retailer. Ahhh well, we still have John K. King! | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3679 Registered: 04-2006 |
Borders is having other issues... It's about to go the way of Circuit City. I don't think that will be the only location in Metro Detroit that closes soon. | ||
Detroit313 Member Username: Detroit313 Post Number: 767 Registered: 02-2006 |
Man....First Motown, now this!  <313> | ||
Lakesuperior Member Username: Lakesuperior Post Number: 133 Registered: 06-2005 |
that suckssssssssss. i shop there all the time. i love going to borders.com and ordering books for in store pickup that the store didn't stock. super easy and you saved on postage! i'm so bummed. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 2230 Registered: 04-2006 |
Remember kids, Barnes and Noble still has a very nice store at WSU. Being that its affiliated with the University it ain't going anyplace soon. I will agree with those that have chaulked this up to more of the economy has not been kind to the hyper retailers as of late. At least with the B&N at WSU that store serves two functions, the university bookstore and general merchandise. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3417 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yeah, and it'll stay there until Marwil is bought out and shut down. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3681 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Yeah, that B&N isn't going anywhere. B&N has arrangements similar to their WSU operation at both Columbia and UPenn, where they operate as the campus bookstore. It's actually pretty amusing that Borders couldn't cook up a deal like that considering that they are HQ'd in a college town. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1332 Registered: 11-2003 |
It's all about the strategic partnerships. That's smart. I totally forget about the WSU store - probably because it means I have to drive... and parking there at some times of day is a pain. A buddy of mine went up there to do something and he was circling around for an hour the other week. If/when that Woodward line opens up, there's probably going to be another $50 a week spent at those stores up that corridor. | ||
J_to_the_jeremy Member Username: J_to_the_jeremy Post Number: 165 Registered: 03-2007 |
I'd hope it's more than 50 bucks a week... | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1334 Registered: 11-2003 |
Well, I was saying me personally. That was poorly worded :-) | ||
Wormbookie Member Username: Wormbookie Post Number: 41 Registered: 05-2008 |
You can still get children's books at Ladels in Corktown. And occasionally some adult titles, too. | ||
Glowblue Member Username: Glowblue Post Number: 145 Registered: 09-2008 |
quote: B&N even runs Michigan's bookstore, if you can believe that. | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 1157 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote:You could always join Jjaba on the Dexter bus... | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6073 Registered: 08-2004 |
Don't forget that Barnes & Noble has 2 locations IN Detroit... the other being in Pointe Plaza, the St. John Hospital owned indoor shopping plaza at Moross & Mack on the far east side. Although it is across the street from both Grosse Pointe Woods & Farms, that store is in Detroit, at the easternmost point in the city. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3682 Registered: 04-2006 |
>B&N even runs Michigan's bookstore, if you can believe that. Now that is very amusing. Which bookstore do they run? The Union bookstore? | ||
Ltorivia485 Member Username: Ltorivia485 Post Number: 1001 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yes, there is a Barnes and Noble on the University of Michigan campus (Michigan Union). | ||
Gibran Member Username: Gibran Post Number: 4523 Registered: 02-2007 |
sad things is the selection at B&N is weak in some areas...and borders had a great History-Political-Philosophy-e tc...I do like listening to the new music at both stores. | ||
Jjw Member Username: Jjw Post Number: 549 Registered: 10-2005 |
Don't forget that Barnes & Noble has 2 locations IN Detroit... the other being in Pointe Plaza, the St. John Hospital owned indoor shopping plaza at Moross & Mack on the far east side. Although it is across the street from both Grosse Pointe Woods & Farms, that store is in Detroit, at the easternmost point in the city. Their web site list that branch as being in Grosse Point. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1336 Registered: 11-2003 |
Bearinabox, If Jjaba is on the Dexter bus, I would be honored to ride it with him, and gladly pay his fare. Now THAT would be an interesting DYes meetup! Flash mob a bus at a certain time, ride it to the end and back. I don't why I find it an interesting idea, but I do. | ||
Sparty06 Member Username: Sparty06 Post Number: 183 Registered: 03-2007 |
Maybe this is an opportunity for John King used books to move closer to Campus Martius? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6075 Registered: 08-2004 |
Jjw, See the map below. All parts of Detroit on the far east side that are within the 48236 Zip Code have a Grosse Pointe mailing address... St. John Hospital does too. And many of these businesses within Detroit use their "mailing address location" as their advertisement location. The parts of Detroit in that Zip Code include all establishments east of Canyon Rd. (the street that is the eastern perimeter of Balduck Park) and south of I-94.  (Message edited by Gistok on January 28, 2009) | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 466 Registered: 10-2006 |
The Wayne Barnes & Noble is not a regular B&N. It's the Wayne Campus Bookstore, and is operated by B&N. B&N has a separate campus bookstore division that has taken over most of the major campus bookstores throughout the U.S. The GP B&N may technically be within Detroit city limits because the site straddles the border, but it's functionally a GP bookstore. Still the tax dollars probably go to Detroit, so I guess it helps. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1636 Registered: 11-2005 |
Well schittballs. That's horrible news. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6076 Registered: 08-2004 |
Crawford, you are correct in the sense that the store caters more to the Grosse Pointe crowd... The driveway that goes next to the store (for St. John Hospital traffic) is the border between Detroit and GPW. Mack Avenue in front of the store is the border between Detroit and GPF. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 921 Registered: 11-2007 |
Unless the economy turns around, Quicken moves downtown and we get the 4 or 5,000 new downtown residents we were hoping for, we are going to lose the little bit of downtown revival we have seen the last few yrs. It's 7:00 on a Wed. night. How many people are dining at The Woodward at the moment? Are they even open? | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 2160 Registered: 03-2008 |
I always felt that it's limited status/selection really detracted from it. They did have some hard to find books though. | ||
Detourdetroit Member Username: Detourdetroit Post Number: 337 Registered: 10-2003 |
it was really the only *normal* thing about downtown. oh boy! | ||
Ronaldj Member Username: Ronaldj Post Number: 87 Registered: 01-2007 |
I worked at the Utica store for a number of years a few yars back. I was impressed with the attention to customer service, the depth of selection and the deep immediate choice of music. I had customers who claimed that it was "their" store even thoughh they frequented other Border's stores. Since that time, Border's has had as many CEO's as the Lions have had head coaches. Ear-buds on the floor are the norm. Minimal eye contact with customers. Serve your self computer monitors on the floor. Minimized music selections. Strategic partnership with Amazon went bust. International openings are done. If they are under 50 cents a share,I hope the Border brothers cashed out a long time ago. | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 1159 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote:Same with National's Coney Island on the other side of Moross. It is the "Grosse Pointe location." I guess they figure nobody would eat there if they admitted to being in Detroit. | ||
Alsodave Member Username: Alsodave Post Number: 643 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ronaldj, Tom and Louis Borders cashed out a *long* time ago--back when they sold the company to K-Mart. I think that the bust with Amazon was the "beginning of the end." The only reason that they went with Amazon was because they couldn't get their e-site up and running, in part due to the Borders version of Magic Alex (Beatles Apple Co. alleged wunderkind). It didn't help that they were saddled with Waldenbooks. No sour grapes on my part (I worked there for a bit in the mid-90s). I knew things were bad when we visited a store and overheard a customer ask for Plato. The clerk thought he said "Playdough" and pointed him to books on toys! | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 261 Registered: 07-2006 |
Damn! I'm not a big store credit card/coupon clipper/rewards card guy, but I do a ton of reading & have gotten a lot of mileage out of the Borders Rewards card program. I had no idea that the company was in such rough shape, as Riley484 says. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 3649 Registered: 06-2008 |
"and we get the 4 or 5,000 new downtown residents we were hoping for" where are these new residents supposed to come from exactly? | ||
Wpitonya Member Username: Wpitonya Post Number: 77 Registered: 08-2005 |
Is the CBD population still around 6,000 or am I making that up? Does this count Lafayette Park? | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1749 Registered: 12-2006 |
Dustin, here's what Time Magazine thinks of Borders right now. "The problem list at the country's second largest book retailer is a grim tale. Even before the economic downturn, Borders didn't shine. 'They're [sic] real estate was sub-optimal in some markets, they were overexposed to music and movies, and they tried to go international, which didn't work,' says David Schick, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Then came the financial storm. Total sales dropped 11.7% during the nine-week holiday period that ended on January 3. Sales at Borders stores open at least a year fell 14.4% during that time. The company was woefully late to the e-commerce game; it finally launched its own sales site in May (the brand had partnered with Amazon to move books before that). During the 2008 holidays, borders.com delivered just 2.4% of total sales — Barnes & Noble's site regularly delivers 10%, says Michael Norris, publishing industry analyst for Simba Information, a research firm." And from Am Law Daily, ominously, "The New York Times reports that ailing national book store chain Borders has hired Jones Day to help advise it on restructuring efforts." That's never a good sign. That's the business world equivalent of the wife saying "we need to talk". Nothing good ever comes of that. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4431 Registered: 02-2004 |
Pitiful, The price of GREED in America effects all people with businesses. I hope Barnes and Noble or Waldenbooks take over that area. IF YOU ALL CAN'T MAKE MONEY, SHUT YOUR BUSINESS DOWN. | ||
Leland_palmer Member Username: Leland_palmer Post Number: 515 Registered: 08-2004 |
Borders owns Waldenbooks. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 3033 Registered: 01-2006 |
I thought the thread-title meant that the downtown area was being sealed off in order to arrest the influx of obnoxious cooler-than-thous moving into the Hip Zone. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1170 Registered: 11-2003 |
The WSU B&N is split into two levels, with trade books on the first floor and textbooks on the 2nd. Its trade books selection is definitely smaller than non-textbook B&N locations. Follett Higher Education Group is the largest college bookstore company, with some 760 stores. Also, the Nebraska Book Company operates over 270 college bookstores, including Michigan Book & Supply in Ann Arbor. | ||
Huraporta Member Username: Huraporta Post Number: 8 Registered: 09-2008 |
It's all economy based, here in the Port Huron area thare are 3 strip malls I am familiar with that have 2 functioning retailers while the rest (about 7 stores per strip) sit vacant. Strip malls are ugly things but we are going to see a lot of stores go bye bye if things don't pick up real soon. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1657 Registered: 11-2005 |
"it was really the only *normal* thing about downtown. oh boy!" Well, there's the CVS. ... ... I know, I'm stretching. The Hard Rock? ... ... The schitt in the RenCen? Oh, oh! There are a coupla Subways and Jimmy John's. Jimmy Johnses? Jimmy Johnsi? | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 262 Registered: 07-2006 |
Thanks for taking the time to pass that info along, Professorscott. One positive thing for me, personally, is that there is a very good independent bookstore near me (the Clarkston Book Center) that often has all of their books marked down much farther than anywhere else I've been, with no coupons necessary. I'd hate to see Borders fold. I still miss my favorite chain retailer, Media Play. I think it's been a couple years since that one tanked. |
