You may think that since I am such a big fan and patron of the indie bookstores that I was glad to see the Borders bookstore chain undergoing liquidation.
Not so.
It is always a negative for a community when a bookstore closes
whether it be a chain or indie.
And Borders began as an indie in Ann Arbor near where I lived for many years.
I read an essay in The Northville Record about going to the liquidation sale.
People were lining up to buy books at 10-20% off.
LINING UP.
Where were these people when Borders was in trouble?
Do I need to give the statistics about how spending money in your community improves your community because your money stays there, the jobs stay there,
and the tax base stays healthy in your community?
Think about it.
Think about it before you buy online. Think about it before you buy from Amazon.com. Think about the fact that your kids need places to work during their summers and those jobs need to be in your community.
If we don't think about it, we will lose our bookstores and small shops.
We'll wake one day to towns with only Walmart and McDonalds.
And we'll wonder what happened...
unless we THINK ABOUT IT.
I hope that the indies get a boost of support and love from their communities, and maybe even a few indies will emerge to fill the void left by the demise of Borders.
Not so.
It is always a negative for a community when a bookstore closes
whether it be a chain or indie.
And Borders began as an indie in Ann Arbor near where I lived for many years.
I read an essay in The Northville Record about going to the liquidation sale.
People were lining up to buy books at 10-20% off.
LINING UP.
Where were these people when Borders was in trouble?
Do I need to give the statistics about how spending money in your community improves your community because your money stays there, the jobs stay there,
and the tax base stays healthy in your community?
Think about it.
Think about it before you buy online. Think about it before you buy from Amazon.com. Think about the fact that your kids need places to work during their summers and those jobs need to be in your community.
If we don't think about it, we will lose our bookstores and small shops.
We'll wake one day to towns with only Walmart and McDonalds.
And we'll wonder what happened...
unless we THINK ABOUT IT.
I hope that the indies get a boost of support and love from their communities, and maybe even a few indies will emerge to fill the void left by the demise of Borders.
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