Borders Hilo Closing

[islandboo]

I will miss it for the CD selection. Whenever I am island, I always make a stop there to pick up a stack of CDs from my Hawaiian Music wish list. While I can get almost anything from mele.com (and often do!) Borders generally had cheaper prices then mele and Amazon do.

[wyline]

Like KeaauRich and Critterlover, I also could never even once find anything that I shopped for at Borders. It was almost comical for a while but eventually I just stopped trying. I don't think my tastes are that highbrow or sophisticated but the choices were dismal unless I wanted classics. The sad fact is that as much a I would love to keep my money as local as possible (at least to provide jobs even though I know it's a chain) I could always go to Amazon and buy anything I wanted for far less money with shipping included! I can't understand why anyone would pay the ridiculous prices at Borders.
Fo the record, I am also one of those who laments the closing of smaller bookstores and does not favor electronic reading, although my dear husband is probably doing just that as i write this...on my computer.

Wyline

[KeaauRich]

KathyH,

I think your post and a few above it have hit the nail on the head as to why Borders-Hilo is closing: it was a fabulous place to hang out, drink coffee, listen to music, talk story, play, use wifi, etc -- but it was a crappy place to actually buy books. And I bet that all the hawaiiana section (and other prime merchandise) was packed in boxes and shipped to the Kona store as soon as the closing sale started...

[Guest]

I was at the Borders in Kailua today and they said the Hilo store always outperformed them in sales. According to the staff there, the store is closing due to the lease expiring and the rent going way up.

[missydog1]

Yeah, Rich, they may have shipped off the Hawaiiana and travel book section; it was the only section that was emptied and I'm sure it sells well in Kona.
>>> According to the staff there, the store is closing due to the lease expiring and the rent going way up.

That's the same as what I was told, except the added bit I got was that Walgreens made an offer to bump up the rent, had had an eye on the site for some time.
I think the cafe community and the bookstore customers had some overlap, but were different. There were always customers buying books and CD's and toys and stuff. I mean, I went there a lot, and I usually had to stand in line to check out, albeit a short line. At Christmas they always did tons of business. The most people I ever saw was at the last two Harry Potter releases. They would do the midnight release and have a party and costume contest leading up. A whole store full of Wizards and Muggles ... was quite magical, Harry Potter East Hawai'i style.

[punagirl]

Has anyone thought of a used bookstore/coffee shop? Seems like a viable business. A lot of folks (like me don't care to hang on to books after reading them. People could trade books back for a small credit. You could have CDS, videos etc. A nice coffee shop nestled into it with tasty pastries & sandwiches. There are some similar concepts near my home in Atlanta and they seem very busy at all times. Most of them are a mix of new & used books. They even have book signings for some of the new titles. I think it would be a great idea.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[John-SV]

I think the closure of Borders is a great opportunity for a good-sized independent bookstore in Hilo. As a former owner of a new/used bookstore (early 1980s), I know that it is difficult for independents to succeed, BUT by combining new and used books there is a far greater possibility of having a successful bookstore. You also have to have a passion for books and a good business sense. An employee-owned store with such people is also more likely to succeed.

Serving food and coffee, etc. is more difficult, as it usually also requires health department approvals, additional licenses, inspections, etc. (though I don't know Hawai'i county or state regs). There are also people who just come in to read and hang out without buying anything (and, sometimes, spilling drink or putting food-messy hands on stock), which has been problematic for many bookstores with food and lounge areas.

Anyway, we all should continue to support to Mary Bicknell's Big Island Book Seller in Pahoa and Christine, David Reed's Basically Books, and the Book Gallery in Hilo.

[dlnragent]

Just a thought, how many of you would be willing to frequent an independent bookstore that had a "hangout/coffee shop area", if there was a nominal charge for the hangout types to defray the costs of wifi, a/c, etc? Maybe a membership type of thing or a pay per visit?

[missydog1]

I think the "nominal charge" part would not go over well, but it's fair to require patrons to consume something. It's fair to charge for Wi-fi. People want to be able to tailor their costs to their usage. Some people drink a coffee, some a latte. A large espresso drink at Borders costs five dollars, and a snack costs $3, so a visit typically would cost me 5-8 dollars, plus I may buy a book or CD, so a charge to sit would definitely not work for me. OTOH, some people hang out there four or more hours and buy one coffee, so they definitely under-contribute.

Borders had an extremely lenient attitude towards outside food. People could eat whatever they wanted there, take out from the deli bar at Island Naturals/Down to Earth, etc.. I think they recognized that not everyone wants sugary fattening pastry. It would have been nice if they sold something nourishing. They did have pre-made sandwiches, but at 7 bucks they were simply not good enough for the price.

People were good about not destroying the books with food and drink. When I first heard of the cafe bookstore concept, I was amazed it was allowed. However, the amount of customers you get by allowing the coffee plus browsing probably makes up for any incidental book damage and then some. I've never had a retail business, but I did take marketing and merchandising as part of my apparel design program, and we were taught that getting the customer in the store is so crucial. I am not going to go to Basically Books, for example, unless I have a pre-identified need for a specific book, or I need to buy a gift. That need has to be strong enough for me to want to deal with the parking issue.

With Borders, and the location was huge, I would be in that area running errands, and succumb to the lure of A/C and an energy fix, and a breather. I didn't go in to buy a book or CD. That's something that would happen as a result of my going in. Basically Books has great foot traffic because tourists are all over the Bayfront, so in that case they don't need to attract me because they have a lot of people who will go in because they're cruising the street. So ... location matters, and the coffee shop aspect matters, and having Wi-Fi matters, and if a place had FAST Wi-Fi that would attract people. Borders Wi-Fi is/was glacial.

I also don't go to Keawe Street because the parking downtown is too awful. I would bet that Kope Kope was hurt by the combination of parking crunch at Hilo Bay Shopping Center and the way it was tucked inside so that in the know folks found it but it was somewhat hard to notice. The other thing about Kope Kope was the couches they had were stained and all broken down, so that was a turn-off the last time I was there. It's a mistake I think to use upholstered (cloth) furniture for a public eating spot. The furniture should have an easy wipe-down surface.

If anyone starts this up, feel free to turn me onto a free latte for the business tips. []

[Aaron S]

I drove by the Hilo Bay Books location on Leilani Street. There was a notice stating that Kona Bay Books had bought the store and it would re-open in 60-90 days. However, the notice was posted on January 22, 2010. (The Hilo location was owned by the brother of Kona Bay Books).