it's over: no more Borders

Borders is done. it's over.

Borders was my favorite store. it was the best bookstore in my opinion because... well, let's see, it was the coolest, most posh, 5 minutes from my house, brilliant & visually pleasing set up that was way better than all the rest, + always had the best selection in store. need more reasons?

pretty much every time i went to the mall the past 5 years i parked at and walked through Borders. the time duration of that walk through directly depended on whether or not my wife was with me.

books.
it's like my 1 thing.
i'm a reading junky.
and Borders was my Mecca. in fact i referred to it as just that.
often.

even driving by the mall and seeing the huge towering Borders made my heart beat faster.

i was thinking just the other day why i like walking through so much? i know i'm not going to buy anything.
why do i love to walk through and look at all the books in all the different sections. i'm sure i could look through them faster on the internet.
i think it's because i love the thrill of actually picking them up and looking at them. holding them in my hands. it's refreshing.

i am so thankful that when i saw on Twitter that Borders was closing we went last Thursday - when Borders was still Borders. i enjoyed it one last time.

because now Borders is already gone. it's dead and no more. That's not Borders that's still open at the corner of Northlake Mall. it has already ceased to be what it once was.
as my wife put it - "it's a hot mess in here."

it sucks. it went from the best, coolest, "poshest" bookstore ever to... a nasty garage sale.
from the UGLY "going out of business" signs all over the windows to the books scattered randomly all about, etc...
people rushing about like scavengers/vultures.

as soon as we pulled up and i saw the ridiculously nasty "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE. EVERYTHING MUST GO!"  signs i commented to my wife about how they had "lost" it. but then she pointed out that there's nothing left to preserve.

wow. i'm sure there are a lot more profound thoughts & illustrations just about that above thought. when an organization loses any fight to preserve what it is. you can see it happen long before they go out of business.
but i guess whether or not they're still truly "in business" at that point is debatable.

so long Borders. or "Farewell" as your president put it in the email. you will be missed. i hope someone else moves in - Walden, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, anybody...
but they won't be as cool as you.