by Peter Joseph Swanson
Member since:
April 13, 2007

My Downtown Borders is Closing

January 19, 2008 10:35 AM EST
views: 142 | comments: 45

It's a HUGE two-storey hoo-ha, with a coffee bar area on the first floor, even.

 

My favorite area bookstore was the Borders at Uptown but that closed when the downtown extravaganza opened.

On the way to it, I noticed that the downtown Crate and Barrel is closing, and the William Sonoma already has its windows all papered up. It was a bad Christmas for shopping and lots of shops have now thrown in the towel

Downtown Minneapolis is becoming more and more an area of empty shops.   That's depressing.

 

St. Paul (our neighbor city just a stone's throw to the east) is where the Republican Convention is going to happen.  I've read that most the restaurants in downtown St. Paul have already closed.  The Republicans better bring their own food. 

 

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Comments: 45

Fran S. Jan 19, 2008, 10:37am EST
its scary isn't it? when a recession hits home so to speak
WS R. Jan 19, 2008, 10:38am EST
That's surprising. Don't people in Minneapolis like to read? :-D
Marianne R. Jan 19, 2008, 10:41am EST
Oh that sucks.
Midnite Writer -- Kim Jan 19, 2008, 10:56am EST
That's sad to hear. Sounds like a ghost town. I liked your line "the republicans better bring their own food!"
donna h. Jan 19, 2008, 10:56am EST
I just got an Borders email stating that Waldenbooks are all closing and it is 40 percent off
Donna K. Jan 19, 2008, 10:59am EST
That's a bummer! Cities go through these extremes of renewal when markets move outward and settle in the suburbs and outlying regions of larger metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, it seems like your area is on the down-swing. Keep an eye on the market. It might be a good idea to start looking at some property in the area in the next couple of years.

I sometimes wonder if that's why different prehistoric "vanished" cities disappeared. If they didn't just dwindle away because the majority of the population got tired of crowding, crime, high cost of living, and noise and moved outward away from the congestion. By the time the people in the "good" neighborhoods noticed, it was too late to fix the problem. :-p
Linda B. Jan 19, 2008, 11:04am EST
The Waldenbooks at my local mall is closing; my son and I went over to say goodbye to the staff (we know several by name, they used to call us at home to let us know when new stuff by our favorite authors came in) and cleaned up on the classics. My son wants to be an English professor and we walked out with several boxes of books--about $650 worth for which we paid $250....most of what he will study in college.

The only Borders store in our area is about 15 miles away and does not have any openings for the Waldenbooks staff. I will miss them a lot...only one has a job; the rest are still looking. Such a painful goodbye.....
Richard Frisbie Jan 19, 2008, 11:04am EST
I get the MPR daily email newsletter. Minnesota has already been declared as in a Recession. Sad to here exactly what that means to a neighborhood - a Borders closed - amazing! Find an independent bookshop and frequent it. They need your help more now.
(from an independent bookshop owner)
Dani B. Jan 19, 2008, 11:08am EST
not good
Kay M. Jan 19, 2008, 11:09am EST
Sad what is happening in the downtown areas. There are businesses closing their doors around here as well. I live in a little suburban area and used to have realtors at my door and on my telephone hoping to get my property, but now there are houses in the neighborhood that have been sitting with for sale signs for over a year.
Sophie S. Jan 19, 2008, 11:17am EST
Wow that is crazy. I am reading this but everyday I drive home and more and more shopping centers and strip malls are being built along our downtown section.

I would hate it if our borders went. I love the little independent bookshops in the area, but love my borders more.
Bobbie S. Jan 19, 2008, 11:18am EST
THAT REALLY SUCKS PETER! It is really sad that your city is becoming like that, and it usually takes years before a developer comes in and re-vamps the place and makes it into a mecca of sorts.
Peter Joseph Swanson Jan 19, 2008, 11:26am EST
I don't know where any independant bookstores are. They went long ago, I think.

Now I want to cry.

We still have a Barnes & Noble downtown (I guess the downtown wasn't big enough for two bookstores - but it used to have more.)

- I get BORDERS gift cards from Gather !!!!!
Apryl Just Apryl Jan 19, 2008, 11:35am EST
I remember that happening in the eighties here in this small town. Downtown looked like a ghost town with it's papered up windows. In the nineties stores came back but now I fear for the future.
Baiden F. Jan 19, 2008, 11:41am EST
Oh king, thats ok we will build you another one in La La land
Baiden F. Jan 19, 2008, 11:41am EST
Seriously..
sorry man that stinks
K S. Jan 19, 2008, 11:48am EST
sorry to hear that things are getting so bad in your area ..... Like Apryl, I also remember the recession of the 70s & 80s ...... of course, ours started sooner and seemed to last longer b/c our main employer closed its plant doors and left 3/4 of the town out of work ......... they felt the need to move their business south to get cheaper labor and stay in business ....
Michelle W. Jan 19, 2008, 11:51am EST
Sounds just like small town America!
Sue * Jan 19, 2008, 12:00pm EST
Wow, that seems unusual for such big name stores to close. How depressing!
CyberGwen ! Jan 19, 2008, 12:14pm EST
That sucks! It does seem strange for the bigger stores to close. I thought that it was usually the little guys that went first.
Peter Joseph Swanson Jan 19, 2008, 12:16pm EST
Most the little guys are already gone and now it's the few big guys fighting it out, I guess.
Amanda "middle of nowhere" C. Jan 19, 2008, 12:27pm EST
How sad! By the way, your new icon is okay but I miss your smiling face...
Sherine W. Jan 19, 2008, 12:49pm EST
Bummer!!!
Carl, Prince of Prose, Villain of Verse Jan 19, 2008, 12:58pm EST
With all those Republicans coming to town, I sure hope you folks have enough public men's rooms.
Lori F. Jan 19, 2008, 1:02pm EST
Too bad. I have to drive 70 miles to get to a borders.
Peter Joseph Swanson Jan 19, 2008, 1:10pm EST
Oh my !!!
Meryl Johnson Jan 19, 2008, 1:13pm EST
What a shame! I'm sure this is happening all across the country, but nobody's admitting that there's a recession.
Christopher K. Jan 19, 2008, 1:14pm EST
looks like youll haveta do your borders shopping online or find another store
Shiela B. Jan 19, 2008, 1:29pm EST
It's sad to think of a Borders store closing down. Now I want to cry.
Cheryl W. Jan 19, 2008, 2:13pm EST
That sucks, Peter!
Baiden F. Jan 19, 2008, 2:50pm EST
hey King !

cha ching !
G. M. Lupo Jan 19, 2008, 4:05pm EST
I'm not even sure where my local Borders is. It may have closed.
Elaine A. Jan 19, 2008, 5:28pm EST
oh no Peter,
I think this may be a sing of what is to come,
people are not spending money....
Kimberly Ripley Jan 19, 2008, 10:06pm EST
Sorry to hear this. I love Borders, but we don't have one here....only Barnes & Noble.
Susan Roberts Jan 20, 2008, 12:00am EST
So many stores of all kinds are closing. Things are just getting worse and worse!
necee t. Jan 20, 2008, 12:56am EST
wow, Peter, that is a shame... a sign of the times... very sad....
Ellen B. Jan 20, 2008, 1:08am EST
what a testimony to have spendidly the economy is doing :) ( sarcasm)
Ellen B. Jan 20, 2008, 1:09am EST
oops, I meant to type "how" instead of "have"
William Dotani Jan 20, 2008, 7:35am EST
That's sad, but I don't think it's as bad as Detroit.
Peter Joseph Swanson Jan 20, 2008, 1:26pm EST
Nobody is as bad at Detroit !!!
Gretchen Lee Bourquin Nov 19, 2008, 5:22am EST
There used to be a B Dalton in City Center-- and the Magers & Quinn :(. I wish Gather gave Indie book store cards. The M&Q in Uptown is still roaring. I do miss that Borders, though.
Dawn (a kitty-kin on the wall) Jun 1, 2009, 1:21pm EDT

that is bad and it's depressing. it's just about like that everywhere now and it's always the places that i frequent and love the most. why can't the places i hate or could care less about close down??? never ceases to amaze me anymore.
Dawn (a kitty-kin on the wall) Jun 1, 2009, 1:21pm EDT

least we still have our barnes n nobles...i love that place.

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