Indies Reach Out to Customers in Wake of Borders News

In response to last week’s announcement of the liquidation of Borders [1], independent booksellers have reached out to their customers to share their thoughts about the store closings and what they mean for the future of bookselling, as well as to let customers know they’re alive and well and ready to be of service.

The Book Table [2] in Oak Park, Illinois, is just a block and a half away from a Borders. Since owners Jason Smith and Rachel Weaver expected many customers would want to talk about the store’s imminent closing, they sent out a letter to their customers and posted it on the Book Table website [3]. The letter began by announcing their stance on the matter: “First and foremost, we will say flat out: we are not celebrating,” wrote Smith and Weaver. Noting that Borders’ closing means unemployed booksellers, fewer outlets for books, and possible cutbacks in the publishing world, they articulated to their customers that they were, in fact, mourning the loss of the store that had been one of their biggest competitors.

Smith and Weaver admitted, however, they were not without resentment for the company whose rapid expansion in the ’90s left hundreds of shuttered independent bookstores in its wake.

“Of course, we hope we can pick up some of the business that Borders leaves behind. But we do not delude ourselves into thinking that we will be the winners in this situation,” they wrote. “Many Borders customers will head to their nearest Barnes & Noble; a vast number will turn to Amazon. For many, simply picking up the latest bestsellers while at Target or Costco will satisfy their needs. For some this may even push them into adopting e-books. We will likely pick up a percentage of the business as well, but we are well aware we don’t have the name recognition or even a fraction of the capacity to take over what Borders provided for Oak Park.

“We do want to take this opportunity, however, to address our customers and to say thank you. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for supporting a bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Through sales tax, through donations, through our programs and activities, we work to actively enrich Oak Park and its surrounding communities. We are endlessly grateful to all of you for welcoming us and allowing us to have our little niche in an industry we adore.”

The Book Table letter has yielded an enormous response from customers, both online and in the store. Smith and Weaver have received about 80 e-mail responses and about another 100 customers mentioned it while shopping. Their letter was also picked up by the local newspaper, which sent it in an e-mail blast and posted it online [4].

“It’s certainly the biggest response we’ve gotten from anything we’ve sent out,” said Smith, adding all of the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “They’re appreciative that we’ve been thinking about these issues. They’re inquisitive about how we feel, and I think they’ve enjoyed our spin on it, because it’s not necessarily what they thought we thought,” he said. “Because we really are very sad.”

Though Smith and Weaver are not rushing to make any big changes until the Borders liquidation process is complete, they have bulked up their magazine and newspaper inventory, since Borders carried an extensive selection. In the near future, the owners are also planning to conduct a more formal survey to decide what it is that their customers want.

“We’ve been a very customer-centric store from the beginning,” said Smith. “Whatever decisions we make are decisions customers are going to back us up on.”

Similarly, Clinton Book Shop [5] in Clinton, New Jersey, posted a note on the store’s Facebook page [6] to open the door for discussion among its customers. Everyone who responded to the note responded very favorably, said store manager Rob Dougherty. The note explained that, while store staff is deeply saddened by the thousands of passionate booksellers that are now out of work and the overall shrinking of the bookselling world, there is a distinct sense of opportunity among independents.

“We believe that Clinton and towns across this nation will understand that Borders closing their doors is not a good thing,” the note said. “We believe that this can serve as a wake-up call to preserve the dignity of the places that we call home. Finally, we believe that we can make a difference.”

Clinton Book Shop is reaching out to the residents of Flemington, the next town over, where the nearest Borders is located. Dougherty hopes to promote the store’s upcoming schedule of big events in the town’s various media outlets to attract customers.

“You don’t want to be perceived as a vulture,” he said. “That’s why we wrote that response, and that’s how we feel. It’s bittersweet. But there’s definitely an opportunity there, and I hope the independents can rally.”

At Other Tiger [7] in Westerly, Rhode Island, owner Robert Utter said, “Last week, we announced through our newsletter, Facebook, e-mail blasts, radio advertising, and on our sandwich board out by the street that we are allowing Borders customers to turn in the Borders rewards cards now in exchange for a 30 percent discount on all their purchases that day and a 30 percent discount off our Other Tiger bookbag, which is our membership program. Bagholders receive five percent off all purchases for life.”

The promotion is going very well, said Utter, and more than 20 Borders cards have been turned in. Other Tiger has posted these on a wall.

Other Tiger buyer and bookseller Evan Collins said, “We want people to know there are independent options for them. People are not only handing over their Borders cards but also signing up for our discount club. We’re hearing comments like, ‘We didn’t know you were here.’ A lot of new customers are being opened up to the independent market.”

Porter Square Books [8], in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is not located near a Borders, but store staff wanted to get the message out to customers that steps can be taken to support independent bookstores around the country. The blog posting “So You’ve Lost Your Borders” [9] by Josh Cook, the online presence manager at Porter Square, has received a lot of positive attention and numerous hits and it’s been making its way around via Twitter.

“We wanted to make sure to tell our customers around the country that there are options besides Amazon that they can turn to,” said Cook. “They can still shop local, even when they shop online.”