Sad day for Borders

Borders Bookstore has long been close to my heart. With good coffee, free Wi-Fi, a relaxing atmosphere, and a great selection of books, it became one of my de facto hangouts for meeting with friends or studying in high school. Unfortunately Borders filed for Chapter 11 yesterday and will be closing 30% of its brick and mortar stores–three of which are in the St. Louis area.

  • Ballwin (1535S-A Manchester Rd.)
  • Chesterfield (2040 Chesterfield Mall)
  • St. Peters (1320 Mid Rivers Mall)

Fortunately my default Borders, the Creve Coeur location, remains open for business, but it’s sad to see the bookstore chain languishing in hard times. Of all the bookstore giants in the area (including Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million), Borders has, by far, the best computer, philosophy, and literature selections–the three topics I am most interested in. If you want to check the status of Borders stores near you, the Wall Street Journal has published a comprehensive list.