Monday, December 3, 2012

Art installation at the old Borders Building

I noticed these construction paper tombstones on the front of the old Borders flagship store as I was biking to work today. It appears to be a memorial to books and bookstores.

If you want, you can add your own memory of Borders to the window.

11 comments:

  1. Hyperbole. When I moved to Ann Arbor in 1993, "on this site" stood Jacobson's department store. Borders was across the stree where MDen is now, iirc. I'm guessing they didn't start there, either.

    When the basic premise is so easily disproved, the conclusion is easy to dismiss.

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  2. I was as saddened as anyone by Borders' closing, but to equate that with the decline of books seems a little disingenuous.

    Especially at this store, where Dawn Treader is less than two blocks to the west.

    I would still like to see a library-themed bar in this location. (Or, better yet, Nicola's? Nicola's? Is the rent too high?)

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  3. Yeah, Necola's is a really good counterpoint to the "bookstores are dying" mantra.

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  4. Border's died because of piss poor management not because of some "bookstores are dying" thing.

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  5. I heard that the former Borders location in Birmingham on Woodward is becoming a Walgreens. A giant, two-story Walgreens. I doubt something like that would happen in downtown Ann Arbor, but be warned. (Source. I can't find any more current info about whether or not it's actually happened or opened yet).

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    1. John, our long-deceased Borders in Hollywood (Calif.) has already become a "concept" Walgreen Store (I guess concept means high-end drugs and a sushi bar). So if it can happen to us, I'm sure it will happen in Birmingham as well. So sad.

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  6. JW, there are rumors that the old Ulrich's Bookstore (about half a block away) might become a giant, two-story Walgreens. So who knows. Anything is possible these days.

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  7. What? But there's already a CVS on State and Huron...

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  8. Big trees die and saplings come up in the sunny spot...Look for a new bookstore opening downtown in February: Literati Books

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  9. They sell books at Walgreens, Jon. Maybe you've heard of New York Times bestselling authors Danielle Steele and John Grisham. Hello?!

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  10. I've heard about Literati Bookstore opening up downtown Ann Arbor - I guess in a couple of months. Should be a good addition to the downtown scene.

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