It's true, isn't it? We will all miss Borders. Do you know why Borders went out of business after a pretty great run? According to the professionals, they refused to let go of the idea of selling material books, CDs and DVDs. They didn't change soon enough to the world of electronic art, they say. Well... Here's what I say:
Dear Borders, Thank you for being there for all of us, fulfilling our artistic needs to browse for music, films and books... even with a cup of coffee. You were right. It's fun to browse. And it is fun to experience all of those living art forms around us in one store, ever-changing as new music, film and books are created. We should have known this would happen, you know. Tower went a few years earlier. Every smaller store and most of the Blockbusters had already disappeared, as well, so it was really just a matter of time, wasn't it? You always catered to the needs and desires of your shoppers. You made shopping a joy. As a new author, you made me feel welcome, sold my books in your store and helped me host five book signings, all in the span of three years. You always thanked me for coming. It is I, who should thank you for helping create one of the most memorable times of my life. Through book signings I was able to reconnect with hundreds of my old friends and students, and I could not have done it without you. You were the best. Sincerely, Dave Willert
As I try to adapt as both an author and a consumer after the closing of Borders, here are my final thoughts:
1. I miss visiting Borders very much. It was friendly, handy, and pretty much had everything.
2. My experiences at Borders will never be forgotten. Their efforts were not wasted on me or anyone else who truly loves shopping for music, books and films. I feel badly for the next generations because downloads may be handy if you have a computer, but they aren't substantial, the way a DVD or CD is with the professional case. I still own my vinyl Beatle albums from the sixties. I can show them to my students and son. Downloads miss anything human like that. This age of computers is costing us visual art in a big way. I believe our society is going backwards and putting all of our eggs into the single basket of electronic communication. No more letters? No more CDs? No more DVDs? No more talking on the phone (texting)? I am not complaining about the electronic options, I am complaining about the fact that they are killing everything else. This generation and the next generations of our youth will not understand the substantialness of human contact on the phone, in a letter, through an actual book, CD or DVD, but only the instant gratification they can receive on their computer or iphone. Sad.
4. Borders closing, and the warnings of the naysayers that we must all embrace the electronic disbursement of media has not changed a thing. I still love CDs, DVDs and Books. In fact, in protest, I am not even going to offer my latest book, "DIMENSIONS III: The Cloud Monsters" in Kindle or Nook. I don't choose to. If people want to read it, they can just buy the book! Take that those of you who insist that physical forms of communication are dead. I have nothing against electronic forms, I simply don't believe they should warrant the death of physical CDs, DVDs and Books. I realize my thoughts run completely counter to what is going on in the world right now. Still. As long as this is America, I have a right to my opinions. And these are them. :) Now, I wish long life and success to Barnes and Noble... the last real bookstore chain left in California. :)
