Bordered Up

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When the Borders Oxford Street branch closed and everyone went mad on posting pics of empty shelves and Closing Down signs, I wasn't fretting. There's always the Charing Cross branch, my preferred branch where the magazine section though smaller still has the same selection and is slightly more tucked away and the queue at Starbucks is always shorter. This of course was childish and naive thinking. The term 'gone into administration' means nowt to me unless I see physical evidence. I snapped it yesterday at the Angels branch where, like the other 45 branches that operate either under Borders or Books Etc, closing down sales are taking place. It's not clear whether or not the stores will be bought by another company in a Virgin Megastores-Zavvi type move, but the end is nigh and I'm wondering if I'm the only one pondering this…?

No, of course it's not the books I will miss. If I want serious reading fodder, Foyles is normally my port of call and if not then that internet baddie Amazon usually takes care of things.

I've carefully pondered this and I'll bemoan the closure on the account of the magazine section. 

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Slightly silly reason for bemoaning: I've spent my formative years fixing meetings with friends, dates and later boyfriends at Borders….ring ring… I pick up…x asks where am i? "Borders Charing Cross…the magazine bit…see ya!"  Saying any other place when I've always used Borders as my base feels a bit wrong and doesn't roll off the tongue quite so easily.

Slightly serious reasons: Then the magazines themselves. At the height of my mag hag fever, I would routinely go into Borders to double check I hadn't missed out any new titles. I beamed when I discovered titles like Lula, Ponytail, Indie when they first hit UK shelves because I got that "Oooh…new mag to check out!" feeling.

Yes, there's the Old Compton Street newsagent that stocks EVERYTHING but will they let me stand there and browse through things thoroughly before purchasing anything.  I can almost hear the shop keepers making tut tut noises now.  It's just not the same thing as scooping up 15 mags in a basket to to take to Starbucks to read before making an informed decision on where the monthly mag fund goes.

Yes, there's RD Franks, Magma and Claire de Rouen but are they open late till midnight or in fact, open on a bleedin' Sunday, when most other shops are open in London.

Don't throw subscriptions at me either.  I'm not committed to that many magazines, hardcore enough to give up a year's subscription money for issues that may or may not be amazing.  

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Even more serious reason: Then I my thoughts turn to the semi-decent newsagent I came across in Westgate in Kent where Steve's family live.  It had every mainstream glossy about, but I scanned and scanned and couldn't find Dazed and Confused or i-D, titles that I don't really consider that obscure.  Steve said that if people wanted specific titles, they'd have to ask their newsagent to order them in specially like he did with The Face back in the day.  Is this not a tad laborious and slightly peevish for the newsagent and even more so if you wished to order in way obscure titles… Prim for instance that I spy on the emptied out Borders shelves above. 

I found myself overdramatically clapping both hands to my face in horror as I wondered about the predicament of people who don't live in the proximity of decent newsagents or Magma-type stores. Pray tell, peeps outside of big cities in the UK who used to get their mag fix at Borders, what strategies will you be employing to get hold of say Lula, 10 or otherwise or am I just fretting for no reason?

50 comments

  1. Looks like I’ll be making an awful lot more 9 hour overnight trips on the megabus to LDN to get my magazine fix!
    *shudder*
    x

  2. Ergh the the borders I use to go close down awhile ago and though I miss the selection of mags (which I don’t anymore cause I found a much better alternative)I really miss the weird cute guy that use to serve me. I’m pretty we both knew that we were meant to be by the innocent flirting and hidden messages via small chat but atlas fate foretold our future by the shutdown of Borders.

  3. Susie, for your magazine fix, go over to Charlotte Street News. It is at 66 Charlotte Street, W1T 4QE (nr. Goodge Street tube or a 15 minute walk from Borders). They are one of the finest independent newsagents, importing myriads of style and fashion titles worldwide; a selection that is comparable to Borders. It also has (surprisingly) very well organised racks.

  4. Sad, I always preferred that branch as well. I’ve almost given up on finding a store with a decent magazine selection…a few titles, yes…but never the (semi-obscure) thing that I’m looking for or (heaven forbid) something new and exciting.

  6. I feel your pain Susie! I was one of those fretting and panicking when the Oxford str branch closed down before ‘discovering’ Charing X…what now? I agree, the point is not necessarily the selection (you can find better elsewhere of course) but the browsing of dozens of titles you don’t or can’t buy! I doubt local newsagents would welcome that or make you a tall cap while you’re at it!

  7. Borders is one of the few places I buy magazine from so I’m suffering from a slight pre magazine hunt panic…but at the same time I can’t help but feel guilty at the hours I’ve spent in there browsing and not actually buying…

  9. I totally understand your pain, its so hard to find the more obscure mags since alot of bookstores don’t carry anything except for the big names. i hope you find another mag shop to stasify your needs! 🙂

  10. In Edinburgh there’s the odd newsagent with dazed and confused or i.d but that’s about as good as it gets. Having to trek out to the out of town shopping centre with the only borders to get lula was bad enough,it looks like it’s going to be ordering stuff online from now on!

  11. Well, there’s always Amazon. Only joking, we know they don’t really pay authors enough. But the local library is a fabulous institution, usually overseen by really keen and knowledgeable librarians. There’s at least one in every town, and mobile ones in the country. But using them is in decline. So forget about bemoaning the close of Borders (the last time I was in one, Oxford Street as it happens, I was told a particular book would be ‘cheaper online’), and be fabulously frugal in your local library.

  12. very well thought out topic that reminded me abit of evolving changes of Lower east side shop-skype …i am pretty sure the passing time of one thing is the beginning of another – or at least we can hope so 🙂
    xx

  13. I am horrified by this! There is nowhere in Oxford to purchase my monthly UK mags, never mind the German and Swiss ones I like to peruse!
    🙁

  14. Susie I’m with you on this one. I live in Birmingham and the now closed Borders was the only place where I could get a decent magazine fix. There were great finds to be had and you could peruse at your leisure to make sure it was something you wanted to buy. It’s closure means that I will have to resort to ordering either online or at WH Smith. The drawback to this is that I will miss out on more obsure titles that could be worth buying. I’m gutted!

  15. This was always on the cards & if I’m honest I cannot remember the last time I stepped foot inside borders. It’s like Woolworths all over again and people will bemoan what has happened, but you have to question their business practises. Amazon spank Borders in pretty much every department and their supplier relations and distribution is far superior. The way people access and digest content is evolving, this blog is very evidence of that. Magazine sales will no doubt be negatively effected outside London, but this means alternative methods must be deployed to reach target demographics. Drama have an interesting project on the go, but obviously that does not replace the physical feel of a glossy. I read an article on ‘not just a label’ today titled ‘fashion for losers’…one of the best I’ve read recently. They’re another example of alternative content use and it’ll be interesting to see how things shape up if (probably when) Borders sink in the waters of financial disparity.

  17. It’s a real shame because In Birmingham, all the best fashion magazines are like you said, all stocked there. I went in the other day and was sad to see the magazine shelves empty.
    However…bookshop wise, Waterstones has always been the best and always had the books in stock with much more choice too. Borders on the other hand weren’t great in this area and I guess that contributed to their current status in administration!

  18. Yikes! It’s so sad. Borders always looked so big and confident… Sad to think it was struggling underneath the facade!
    Selfridges have a good selection, I spied Baby Baby Baby in there a month or so ago and went to pay for it and it was £12! I nearly collapsed! I regret not buying it though. It looked amazing.

  22. WELL SAID SUSIE!! just came back from a supermarket sweep of the mag section of my local one…none of the mags are discounted of course, with this section the only thing part of the store still packed to the brim…where do all the unsold ones go? 🙁

  23. I can’t get over the fact that borders are shutting down all around me I took a trip to the one near Brent Cross to purchase Italian Vogue and nothing!!! Not even British Vogue graced the shelves!! We all need to find a replacement magazine store ASAP!

  24. Isn’t it so sad? There are mad sales all around. I have been wondering about the Lula 10 problem as well. I’m not sure how I will get round it but I’m hoping more savvy bloggers will be able to nudge me in the right direction
    Polly x

  25. I can so relate to your article I would always meet friends at the Borders Oxford street branch with a basket of magazines and then when it shut down I headed to the Charing Cross branch…. I am gutted it is closing, I do hope an alternative will pop up with mags and coffee in mind!

  26. Completely bummed that Borders is closing. We only have one in my town and it’s like my haven. Likewise, I can no longer sit in Starbucks and read an armful of magazines that I’m unlikely to buy.
    I heard Waterstones is buying them out?
    🙁 Sad faces all around.

  27. No, not Borders?! I leave the country for a couple of months and my favourite bookstore/newsagent/Starbucks gives up on me. Not that I take entire responsibility (although my appetite for magazines could have probably kept them going a little longer!) but I am truly devestated. Whittards and Woolworths I could deal with but did they really have to take Borders?
    x
    http://sparklesmiledance.blogspot.com

  28. you’re not at all fretting
    if my book store closed, b&n, i’d be devastated. many good memories at my b&n, we’ve developed a relationship. i don’t think i could so easily bond with another book store.

  29. I am in complete wonderment over the Borders ‘board up’! It just makes me sad, All the memories of hours spent with magazines and a chai tea curled up on a sofa with the pittar patter of rain outside, the inner reassurance of seeing that there were other geeks that thought of Borders as a helpful librarian showcasing the lot of fashion mags so you could choose the best. Why couldn’t it have been waterstones?? x

  31. The Leeds one is closing too and it’s literally a tragedy! What other shop actually sets out armchairs by the magazine racks so you can read as much as you like without being chucked out? Although this might be related to reasons for closing… ahem.

  32. I feel the exact same way. I have spent many an hour with a Starbucks coffee and as many fashion magazines as I could carry up the stairs. Where on earth am I going to be able to do that now?!

  33. i have no idea now, my magazine buying is all messed up. whsmith stock the regular but more obscure ones will have to wait till i visit a city. i can pop to magazine but then i have to go on a 1 1/2 train ride and 30 min walk with them after. not happy, such a big lost for the mag world

  34. I too am already in mourning over the Borders closure. I live in Birmingham and its got the best magazine selection in the city. We have no RD Franks and buying online will be a pain because I like to flick through and see what I’m getting before I make a purchase. It will be a sad day when it closes its doors for good. Its closure will also mean one less branch of Paperchase too 🙁

  35. Regarding your question as to what to do now, I’m just going to have to get my obsuire mag fix during my quarterly trips to London. Far from ideal but theres nothing else unless I want to buy online or subscribe.

  36. i will not miss it. It was expensive and outdated, it was not keeping up with the times. But then I live in Central London, I Know a lot of people in smaller areas, that will be pretty desolate now it’s closing.

  38. ohh I’m so terrible sad! I used to go about 2-3 times a week into borders sit there for hours and read magazines. It also scares me a bit … even though I love reading online magazines …getting a printed magazines is always different, but i guess this is just a sign of that times are changing and we somehow have to adjust :(.

  39. And here I was all sad because the only Threshers in walking distance was closing down and all I would be left with is the expensive wine shop.
    At least Aldeburgh has three decent bookshops and a well stocked newsagent.

  41. Where am I going to get my French Vogue fix now?! The WHSmith near me doesn’t sell it!

  42. I completely agree, so many years and misspent time in Borders. I’ve read whole books in comfort and the magazine browsing… argh, I hope it isn’t the end….
    PS Agnes did email in advance ref Thursday and blogging talk. Not surprised you had to cancelled, I’m surprised your not exhausted after all your jaunts and work/posting etc.

  43. fret away, my dear!
    my story is that i love lula and i live in nyc. i know a handle of bodegas (delis) that sell obscure magazines. when the most recent lula came out, it sold out in my usually bodegas and bookstores. what did i do? i trekked to SEVEN, thats right SEVEN different new outlet stores (bodegas and bookstores alike) until i found it.
    it just takes dedication.
    *c*
    http://louiseorvalentine.blogspot.com

  45. I am so sad about Islington Borders, whenever I need time out from my flat(mates) I walk down there and grab a pile of magazines and a coffee. That said, for the amount I read in there I don’t purchase anywhere near the same amount and for that reason I probably shouldn’t be surprised they are not making enough money. I have even been known to stay “I don’t know how this place makes money”!!
    Anyway, the stand opposite Libertys by the Palladium is good for international mags.

  46. there will be a definite niche in the market, no nationwide stores stocking all the fash-mags, hopefully the gap will be filled pretty soon

  49. I stumbled across this article and couldn’t help to agree more with the huge decline in bookstores and circulation of fashion, art magazines. Its getting very hard to find a place that can afford to carry the obscure because most people keep to the basics by lounging for hours looking at I-D and just buying Vogue. I work in a bookstore as a clerk in bookstore in Los Angeles we sell lots of great magazines but not many people read anymore so books don’t move and most magazines content are going online. Bookstores such as borders don’t make money by opening lounging areas a coffee shop and giving free Wi-Fi its just makes for a cool place to hangout. And I have witnessed the withdrawals the designers, and people that I sell Lula too just to name one example.It was only pressed for some number of units and I couldn’t find any in the states because the magazine couldn’t afford to print more is what I was told.Its totally is a sign of the times with everything becoming available online illegally or by forfeit of the publication to keep circulation. Why should we pay for what we can get for free but also its a lost of respect for intellectual property and sooner or later those creatives we look for won’t be there anymore. Till then I enjoy reading Textile view, WeAr, and Love magazine.

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