A Lament to Borders

I got some pretty sad news yesterday. Borders, the book shop, has gone into administration. I know administration doesn’t mean it’s gone forever, but it means that outcome is looking pretty likely. They’ll probably keep the stores open over Christmas, glean whatever profit they can from them, and then close them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some shops, if not the whole chain, will be bought up and kept open as retail outlets. Hopefully they’ll remain bookshops. The Borders at the top of Briggate in Leeds (where I mis-spent my youth) will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll be gutted if it becomes a Poundland.

I have a very strong affection for book shops. It’s not just the big Waterstones-Borders-Blackwells ones, it’s all of them. I especially like second hand book shops, although they’re getting very thin on the ground. There’s only a handful in Manchester. Sob sob. I also quite like rifling through the book shelves in charity shops and the book departments in WHS Smiths and general department stores. There’s something wonderful about holding a book in your hands, reading the blurb, flicking through it, even if you’re completely skint and couldn’t afford a charity shop Penguin paper back. If I ever need to waste some time I’ll be in a book shop shuffling through pages and covers. The addition of coffee shops to many has really made my life. As a closet yuppie and caffeine addict I like nothing better than to fondle my new papery purchases over a coffee.

Yeah, I know you can get books online, and they have a bigger range, and they tend to be cheaper, but I’ll always prefer actually looking at the stuff I buy. I like to examine it closely, and if I hand over real money I get a better idea that it’s actually just cost me currency. You also get it straight away. This doesn’t just go for books, it goes for everything.

So, although it’s not the end of the world, I will be sad to see Borders go, and I've got my fingers crossed that this isn’t the start of a trend. I hope that old school shops of all kinds don’t disappear. I don’t really like shopping. I never have enough money and people stress me out (that’s why I mostly communicate through the internet) but sometimes I do just like to rummage, even though I hardly ever buy anything.

Meh.

Peace and Love x