Since Borders' unsurprising bankruptcy announcement last month, many people have weighed in on where the company went wrong and what the future holds for them and the book business in general. Some of it has been interesting and thoughtful, even in areas where I think the commentators are wrong, but a lot of it has been petty and distasteful. In particular, I'm thinking of the wave of "serves them right because they put so many others out of business" schadenfreude.
At its early-to-mid 90s best, when I had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest people I'll ever know (many of whom remain friends), Borders bridged the gap between chain-store selection and independent store knowledge. At that time at least, Borders didn't set out to destroy anyone's livelihood, they set out to be the best book/music-store they could be. Did stores go out of business after Borders stores opened nearby? Sometimes they did. Sometimes, they expanded as happened with the independent record store a block or so down Lancaster Avenue from my old store in Bryn Mawr shortly after the music department opened.
The reason that Borders' first store in Delaware, which I helped set up twice (long story), did such great business when it opened in November 1994 was because the people living around it were eager for a store with a knowledgeable staff and a good selection. Nothing leading up to that point precluded anyone from opening a good independent store nearby. Borders did what a good businesses are supposed to do, take advantage of an opportunity to give people what they want (or need, if you think of books and music the way I do). That's what Borders did and did well through the mid-90s. What they did the past decade is a different story, but it doesn't invalidate the benefit to the many people who found books, music and moves they never might have experienced if Borders hadn't helped connect them.
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