The way of the future.

Anyone who has ever visited Borders' CBD store would know the tall row of shelves on level two that divides the floor in half near the information desk. That entire row is now sitting in pieces on my front verandah.

On the weekend my parents and I visited Borders' Brisbane CBD store for the last time. Along with most of the other Borders stores in Australia, the CBD store is closing down as part of a "more sustainable business model," as worded by Borders themselves. Basically meaning, as everyone knows, that they've gone bust and need to close the majority of their stores in order to compete with the growing online book sale market. 

It was a sorry sight. "70-90% off" posters everywhere, "for sale" stickers on absolutely everything from bookshelves to filing cabinets to broken desk chairs. We pulled shelves out of the bookcases and loaded them onto a flat-tyred trolley (which was also for sale for an ambitious $60) right in the middle of the open store while bewildered customers wandered around unable to believe that an entire rack of Mills and Boone novels could actually be $15. I can't imagine what motivated the staff to even be there, because it certainly wasn't loyalty to a company which, according to the employee we spoke to, was trying to do them out of the rest of their annual pay. 

I remember when Borders opened in Brisbane. It was a big deal - giant American company opens and people worry they'll send smaller, independent bookstores out of business. And yet we all still shopped there, of course, because Borders was big, had a good range of books and stationery and smelled pretty good. And now it's gone.

General opinion blames a surge in online book-shopping for companies like Borders and Angus and Robertson going out of business. People would rather buy from Amazon, eBay or online versions of the aforementioned stores for a cheaper price without having to actually go shopping. Apparently.

I would not. I love going to bookstores. The smell of books, the ability to flip through them and touch them; the impulse buys of stationery and mugs and Harry Potter bookmarks you end up making - it's a whole experience, and while I don't enjoy shopping as a general activity, book-shopping has always been one of my favourite things to do. 

I buy almost all my clothes online, I download music, pre-book movie tickets and use eBay. So I'm by no means a strictly old-school shopper who doesn't buy anything online. But there is something about books that is just so tactile, and something about being in a room full of people who enjoy books as much as I do makes me feel safe and happy. None of which can be derived from this:

It's so sterile, so impersonal. And yes, it's quicker and easier, and probably cheaper, but it's not as rich an experience.

It's just not the same.