The Beginning of the End. Or Probably Not.

I'm pretty sure the whole world knows about the Borders-filing-Chapter-11-bankruptcy right now. For my town (which has three Borders bookstores), there are some good news because of it and some bad news. The good news is that there will still be two Borders standing. The bad news is that one will be closing, and unfortunately, the one that's closing is mine (great, huh?).

Truthfully, when I first read the article about the closing in my town's newspaper, I was okay with it. Of course I was upset, but it all seemed gradual. Everyone knew that it had to happen one day or another. (I think I was still in denial- How can Borders (especially my Borders) close?! They're bookstores! They're educational! They help improve literacy! They apparently serve great hot chocolate and have an awesome Jane Austen/Charlotte Bronte collection!)

After finally going to visit the store, the news hit me. My Borders is closing. This is what I saw when I first walked in:

Isn't that just plain scary?

And then I turned around and saw HP and the Order of the Phoenix on a nearby shelf. Right there I realized that this is where I bought all the last three Harry Potter books. This was where my family, friends, and I stood eagerly in line until 4:00 in the morning of July 21st, 2007 to get Deathly Hallows in our hands. This was where I bought all my Percy Jackson books, the Hunger Games trilogy, and basically where I bought all the books I cherish deeply today (and also where a saleswomen first introduced Twilight to me- before it become a phenomenon), and now it's closing?

I don't know what else to say now; the denial's gone, but the truth is still settling in. There are only two things (entertainment-wise) I really need to function well in my life: a bookstore and a movie theater. Sadly, both seem to have unpredictable futures ahead of them. As we can see, the movie industry is suffering huge losses as well. Theaters are shutting down, studios are filing for bankruptcy, and Hollywood is facing uncertainty, just like the publishing industry has been from what's been happening to books and bookstores. There'll be unemployment now, and according to Shannon Hale, an estimation of 10% decrease in sales of books.

Does the bankruptcy of Borders signal what's going to happen to other bookstores in the future like Barnes & Nobles and indie bookstores because they can't keep up with online retail stores sales like Amazon? *cough cough* It better NOT. Because just like what Shannon Hale (again) wrote about the bankruptcy, brick-and-mortar stores still matter enormously.

This is wishful thinking but I'm 98% sure that bookstores will continue to thrive (as long as they sell e-books and e-readers now just like B&N), and so will movie theaters because one day movies will become reasonably priced again so theaters will be able to show them and people will be able to view them! And really, I like going to bookstores. To browse, and to find the books I really want to read. I especially love going over when there's a brand new release to see the excitement within everyone, and to see people quickly running over to the shelves to go get the shiny, new books before anyone else, or to stand in line to receive the book and break into a huge smile when the book finally lands into their hands.

It's just like how I love going to movie theaters during opening weekend to see everyone walk quickly into the theaters to grab the best seats, and to hear a hush fall over the crowd when the opening titles come on. Sometimes if the movie is really popular (as in the case of Harry Potter or Toy Story 3), roaring claps and cheers come on instead of the hush, and because I'm sentimental and weird, I start tearing up and start thinking about how amazing it is to be able to enjoy and celebrate something together (Yeah, like I said, I'm weird).

And I guess that's what they do, bookstores and movie theaters. They bring communities together, and I don't think we can survive without them. Well, I can't at least, so I'm hoping they're here to stay. *fingers crossed*

- Nonie