Closing Borders: Books, Coffee and Music

It was business as usual at the Borders book store in Meriden’s Westfield Shopping Mall this week where shoppers seemed unaware the store was scheduled to close this fall.

On Monday, the bookstore's headquarters announced that the Meriden store – along with 398 others around the country – would .

The Crosby family of Prospect, who purchased multiple bags of books, hadn't heard about the closure, but knew that the chain was in trouble. They stopped in Monday night because they were so surprised to find a store open.

The Meriden location is one of the last full-sized Borders stores still open in the state, along with Farmington and Waterford. The chain closed down shops in Danbury, Manchester, Milford, Simsbury, Southbury, Wilton, Fairfield and Stamford this spring, as it went through bankruptcy proceedings.

Linda Murphy and her two daughters, Lauren and Morgan, of Bristol had gotten used to splitting their time between the Meriden and Farmington Borders in West Farms Mall, and were sad to hear that all stores would soon be closed.

"We don't have a choice, we'll have to go to Barnes and Noble now," Linda Murphy said. A member of the Borders Rewards discount program, Murphy had just bought about $80 in of books and DVDs at a discount for a summer road trip. "I don't think Barnes and Noble has as good a program."

Barnes and Noble, Borders' main competitor, has 13 stores in the state, with the nearest branches located more than 12 miles away in Farmington, North Haven, Waterbury, West Hartford, Glastonbury and Canton.

The closure leaves just one bookstore in Meriden, and none that sell new books. The Friends of the Library bookstore, which has just moved into the  building at 105 Miller Street, offers used books as a fundraiser for the organization. 

Cheshire has an independent bookstore,  which expanded its inventory when it moved to a larger location on South Main Street.

"I think a lot of people are disappointed with (Borders) going out," said Rosanne Ford, vice president of membership services for Meriden's Chamber of Commerce. "Any time you lose a business, it is a loss not only for the local economy but for the community as well."

Meriden resident Heather Bellobuono-Cassidy is sad to see the store go. The Platt High School Spanish teacher said Tuesday that she frequented the store to get workbooks and textbooks for her classes. "Barnes and Noble isn't that close...You can't just go to Walmart for those," she said. 

The Meriden Borders does not have an official closing date, but it will likely be shuttered by the end of September, said company spokesperson Mary Davis by e-mail Tuesday. Store events, like children's summer camp events would likely be cancelled, she said.

The store will have a going out of business sale, Davis said, but she was not sure when it would begin. Gift cards, she assured, would be honored and redeemed throughout the sale, but she said she was not sure about Borders Rewards Discounts.

Asked for comment, employees at the Meriden location said they were not allowed to speak to the media, and referred questions to the corporation's media relations department.

In its statement Monday, the company blamed the closing on a perfect storm caused by eReaders, changes in the book industry, and a flailing economy.