Borders to close 5 NC book stores after announcing bankruptcy

Chapel Hill will lose one of its biggest national brand stores when Borders closes in the coming weeks.

The Borders Group announced Wednesday that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the Borders store in Chapel Hill is one of 200 unsuccessful stores nationwide — about 30 percent of the national network — the company is closing as part of its restructuring.

“We are sorry to see a national brand go,” said Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s an exiting opportunity for locally owned and operated book stores to capture market share.”

Nelson said the closing could affect the health of Chapel Hill’s economy, which loses retail revenue to malls and brand stores in surrounding counties.

“I do think that Borders was helping us capture Orange County retail purchases that would otherwise leave the county,” he said. “We will need to redouble our efforts to grow our retail sales.”

Brandon Jaynes, the manager of the Chapel Hill store, couldn’t comment Wednesday on the closing and was meeting with the store’s 33 employees throughout the day.

A Borders corporate spokesman also declined to comment.

According to the company’s press release, the closings resulted from poor economic conditions rather than shortcomings of the employees at each store.

Stores in Apex, Cary, Raleigh and Greensboro will also close.

Chapel Hill resident Marc Roth said he comes to Borders about once every two weeks because he prefers its staff to that of other stores.

“They’re a lot more attentive and easier to access,” he said.

Dan Koster, a resident and recent graduate of UNC’s master’s of library science program, said he will miss the store.

He frequented Borders as often as twice a week and liked its brighter and less crowded atmosphere better than Barnes & Noble.

“I’ll probably spend a little more time at the library and at Barnes & Noble if they’re the only retailer in town,” he said.

Koster said he will keep shopping at independent book stores.

“I’m a big fan of the book as physical object,” he said. “I like a funky, falling-apart building with stacks of books and cats.”

Andrew Neal, owner of Chapel Hill Comics, said although his store competes with big name brands like Amazon.com Inc., Borders and Barnes & Noble Inc., he is sad to see Borders leave.

“But it will mean less competition for us,” Neal said. “People who were shopping at Borders will spread out. There’s no one store that’s going to benefit.”

Betty Schumacher, manager of The Bookshop Inc. and former Borders employee, said Borders couldn’t keep up with the high profit margins and competition of the book-selling business.

“Barnes & Noble always seems to have the edge — which is a shame.”

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