Borders is Bankrupt, and That Means Something ... I Think!

We all have our little vices. For some people that is chocolate. For others it may be over-priced coffee. I know a small group of Christian men (mostly leaders) who love to watch boxing together - and are embarrassed to let anybody else in on their secret.

Without a doubt, one of my greatest vices in life has been bookstores. Really. My family has "lost" me in bookstores more than once. Su had a plan for the day. The girls wanted to see something else while they were in the States. However, I was lost in a bookstore and no one could find me. Plans had to be modified because Papi (that's me!) couldn't be trusted when he said he only needed a few minutes in the bookstore.

Now, news has reached even Central America that Borders Bookstores has gone bankrupt. The mega-bookstore seems to be headed in the same direction as the record shop - more empty space in another strip mall.

There are good reasons Borders went belly-up. They over-expanded and over-bought. They also made wrong management decisions regarding the development their own digital reader. In fact, I am sure there is already a book in the works regarding the mistakes management made and the lessons we can learn from them - maybe it will even become in bestseller in the few, remaining Borders stores.

However, without a doubt one of the reasons Borders became over-extended is that people's reading habits are changing. As I travel, I see more and more people with Kindle readers (or the competition's equivilant) and less "dead tree books." It has become easier to download than it has to drive down the road to a brick and mortar store.

I must admit this has certain advantages to people like Su and me. After all, if you can buy it on-line in the States you can also buy it on-line in Costa Rica. Books that I used to have to wait months and, even, years to read are suddenly available to me hot off the virtual press. Some of you reading this note have recommended your latest book to me and I have downloaded it while we were still on the phone together.

Still, there is something special about going into a bookstore - especially if it also sells chocolate and over-priced coffee! I love to wander down the aisles and pick out five or six books that interest me. When I sit down with my latte and read a bit out of each book, I have visions of what heaven could be like.

Of course, being a missionary, I rarely buy any of those books! Perhaps this is another reason Borders has gone bankrupt. Coffee sales simply can't support a million dollar book inventory.

I am going to miss large bookstores. They had become my favorite part of visiting the States. I am sadden that a vice that Su could never quite modify in my person has been effectively handled by something as simple as economics. I was really hoping to hold out longer.

Abraham Lincoln said, "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues." It seems that people who think they have no need of forgiveness demonstrate little grace to others. Let us hope that we can avoid becoming people with all the disliked virtues and none of the admired vices.