If you never worked at Borders, you may have already acknowledged the company’s sad passing and moved on. If you spent several years of your life selling books and are still seeking other employment, however, it’s a bit harder to let go. We know.
Today we would like to highlight a piece written by Tom Schwider, who worked at the beautiful Michigan Avenue store in Chicago (store 58, for those of us who identify by store number). Store 58 was already scheduled to close long before the company declared bankruptcy, but got a one year extension that made the closing date fall only a month before the bankruptcy filing. Tom highlights the death throes of a bookstore in honest, yet poignant, vignettes about people and experiences in those final days.
It’s a long read, but well worth it. Settle in and give yourself some time with this one. It gives a truer glimpse into the world of corporate bookselling and bookstore liquidation than anything else I have read. A bittersweet memorial to the job we loved, and hated and, in the end, loved anyway.
Special thanks to Tom for sharing his words and allowing us to pass them along to you.
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Booksellers Without Borders 