Customers Already Nostalgic for Closing Local Borders Bookstore

Many people visited Borders to take advantage of the first day of the store liquidation sale, but customers were mostly thinking of ways to fill the void when the Borders in downtown Silver Spring officially closes their doors.

“I think it’s going to be a total loss to the community…where else will people go?” asked Nellie Maskal, who has lived in Silver Spring for 32 years. “First Pier 1 Imports [closed] and now this. But it’s a sign of the times I guess.”

Borders Group president Mike Edwards sent a farewell message to customers early Friday morning letting them know that the company put forth its “best efforts” to keep the company operating.

The accessibility of the downtown location is what many Silver Spring residents say will be hard to overcome when they are forced to travel a longer distance to purchase books.

“Even though I have a Kindle there is nothing that can replace a hard cover book,” said 15-year old Ana Wong. “If this thing crashes I will have to pay about $200 for another e-reader.”  

Frequent border shoppers will miss the rewards member discounts given exclusively to the 1.8 million customers nationwide who signed up for service.

“Book prices have gotten so expensive that it’s hard to pay full price,” said Katrina Maurer, 29, who has been a reward member for over a year and visits Borders almost weekly.

Other customers are looking not only for another store that provides such savings, but a similar relaxing atmosphere like the one at Borders.

“Coming here is nice peace and quiet. I find solace in this place,” said Jason Velasquez, 17, who visits the bookstore every week and feels a library environment is too generic for an alternate reading destination.

“I wouldn’t define this place as a library but the bookstore. They have nice music and a café. Plus it has nice AC,” said Velasquez.

Book junkies like Velasquez now have an even smaller pool of options in the area with Borders being the second of only two bookstores in the neighborhood.

Cynthia Parker, co-owner of at 938 Bonifant Street, opened her bookstore in 1991 when there were nine other bookstores in the neighborhood. Now twenty years later, she doesn’t think being the only remaining bookstore in town will have an immediate economic effect on her used book store.

“I don’t think it’s going to make a huge impact on us because people come to us for different reasons,” said Parker whose store specializes in the sale of used books of all different genres. The bookstore houses about 5,000 books, mostly classic titles, and staff would often refer customers to Borders to purchase newer books.

Yet Parker says the mega bookstore’s closing has caused her to rethink her inventory.

“I’ve been thinking maybe I should start ordering more new books,” said Parker. “But I would have to get a feel for what people come in asking for and what they’d like to see.”

Parker says she won’t make any changes yet until Borders is officially closed. A Silver Spring Borders employee said there is not yet an exact date when the local store will close but according to a company press release, all Borders are expected to close their doors in September.