Community Mourns Loss of Borders

No date has been announced for when Southbury Borders will officially close, but as the store liquidates its stock, residents are nearly unanimous in their disappointment.

“It’s a big loss for the community,” said resident Joy Geraci.  “Really unfortunate.  It had a great children’s section; my daughter could just sit there and read for awhile.  Now the closest store is the Barnes and Nobles in Waterbury.”

“And I just bought a rewards card,” she said.

Borders announced bankruptcy Feb. 16; closing 200 stores including Southbury, Milford, Manchester, Simsbury, Danbury and Wilton.  Employees have been at work selling the merchandise in the 21,990 square foot store with discounts from 20 to 40 percent off items.

Locals eulogized the store, citing its convenient location and wide selection as reasons it will be missed.

“When you were going out, you could always find a way to make stopping there one of your errands,” said resident Vince Calio.

“It’s a loss for the plaza in general,” said Susan Kleiber.  “[Without Borders] it will feel empty.”

Citizens described the store as one of only a few places in town to meet up with people and generally waste time, calling it a community resource.  Geraci reflected on the various programs that the store would hold in its already defunct Seattle’s Best café.

“They would have bands playing [in the café,] poetry readings, book clubs, arts and crafts, lectures…all kinds of community events,” said Geraci.

Most people said they were unable to think of a nearby store that would fill the niche, with the nearest remaining Borders over half an hour away in Meriden, though some said they believed that the library would become busier.

One resident, Tom Fleming, said he was saddened by the loss, but not entirely surprised, since online retailers have long been supplying the same books at cheaper prices — even after the 20 percent liquidation sale.

Fleming said he’d seen people in the store comparing store costs to amazon.com pricing on their iPhones while they browsed.

“Not everybody,” said Fleming.  “Just cheapskates.”

Still, Fleming said it was a function of capitalism to favor retailers who can provide the same service for less money, noting with some sorrow that Borders had pushed out a family-owned business when it had moved into the plaza.

Calio said he similarly understood, and that the bankruptcy was a “sign of the times.”

Though the wireless internet and café are both already gone, the closing date of the store has yet to be determined.