Borders Books

By now everyone knows Borders is closing (all of its stores) and liquidating everything including fixturesand café furniture.

It’s truly sad considering what a positive impact this particular store had on the Kisco
community. It was much more than just a book store it was a social hub and go to place for folks in and around Town. It was one of the first places I allowed my daughter a little independence to meet friends and hang out . A Borders Gift Card made the perfect gift for the hard to please person. I often took advantage of the Bargain Book section by taking home many incredible coffee table books on Art, Travel and Cooking. These are the kind of books you needed to see and feel not look at on an electronic reading device.

Many of the people I spoke with echoed my feelings. Doreen from Chappaqua said “It was more than just a book store; it was a place to meet with friends and clients”. She said she spent many hours in the
Café working (it was like an extension of her office). John a single dad from Kisco said he was going to miss bringing his kids there on a rainy day “to just hang out and explore” all the new children’s books. Many folks shared with me that it was the place they went to after catching a movie or grabbing a bite to eat in Kisco. One woman who didn’t want to be named said “Mt Kisco is losing a gem of a book store”. The Mayor of Kisco, Michael Cindrich said that many community members have contacted him by phone and e-mail expressing their shock and sadness that Boarders was closing. He said that he “shared their disappointment”. The Mt Kisco Borders was a “destination location that will be difficult to replace”.

I had a déjà vu moment while listening to people express their feelings about Borders closing. It occurred to me that many years ago people had the same sentiments about the Mount Kisco Book Company (It closed in 2000). Back then Borders was the big chain store that was putting a little mom and pop store out of business. It was said that the Mt Kisco Book Co couldn’t compete with Boarders lower prices and larger stock. People were afraid that Borders wouldn’t have the same quality staff (that was as caring and knowledgeable about books). Well anyone that spent any time in Boarders knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. Most of the staff were there for many years and were very passionate and knowledable about literature. If they couldn’t answer your question they were happy to look it up. Jude from Mt. Kisco said she has been here (in Mt Kisco) for two and a half years and in that time she found the staff to always be very “pleasant and helpful”.

One could say that Borders was victim to the poor economy, the internet and the introduction of electronic readers like Kindle and Nook. The question on everyone’s mind now is what will fill the space. At this
time there is no word on what will replace boarders however; the landlord has been inundated with requests from potential tenants. The Mayor and Trustees are monitoring the situation carefully. I will keep you posted on any new developments with this site.