Today, bookworms across Greater Manchester are spoilt for choice with a number of brilliant independent bookshops and big brands around.
But many will remember what it was like in the early noughties to make your way to Borders Books to grab a coffee, browse the aisles and read a book or magazine on one of the comfy chairs. Borders first opened in the UK in 1997 and was originally owned by the US book giant of the same name.
And it wasn't long before it opened outlets in Greater Manchester, which stocked thousands of titles and magazines, as well as cards, CDs, DVDs and more. Over a decade ago, Borders could be found in the likes of Manchester Fort Shopping Park in Cheetham Hill and The Peel Centre, in Stockport.
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At one point, there was also a branch in The Trafford Centre. A massive chain, Borders had bookshops in Liverpool, Cheshire, Teesside and beyond.
In the noughties, Borders was a magnet for booklovers and shoppers. It had something for everybody and would welcome students, gamers, young families, older couples and more to browse the aisles full of hundreds of books, from classics and children's literature to sport, new releases and more. It was a great place to meet up and socialise, as well as to stock up on back to school gear or tick off gifts on the Christmas list.
Many of the branches, including the one in Speke, had a Starbucks coffee inside so you could sip a hot drink whilst getting comfy on one of the big chairs with a book. Boasting a fantastic selection of books, magazines, CDs, videos, foreign papers and gifts, you could also purchase stationery or a new video game via Paperchase and GAME which was inside many of the Borders stores.
Over the years, different Borders bookshops would host everything from in store acoustic performances, celebrity book signings and midnight openings for new must-have books that would see late night queues. Borders was a massive part of the book industry in the UK and unforgettable moments.
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It's now been over ten years now since Borders went into administration and announced the closure of the store. In 2009, the MEN reported how the group’s 45 Borders and Books Etc stores closed to the public but staff were set to leave on Christmas Eve.
Customers have been picking over cut-price titles on offer at the store since administrators MCR launched a closing-down sale – with even boxes of stationery from the store room up for grabs.
Do you remember Borders? Let us know in the comments section below.
Days later, the MEN reported on the final chapter for Borders in Stockport. About 20 staff lost their jobs as the Peel Centre shop closed its doors for the last time on December 22 that year.
At the time, Stockport MP Ann Coffey said the closure was a big loss to the town. She said: "I think it is very sad. I used the shop – it was a very nice store and a place to go and read books and have a cup of coffee.
"It was a very profitable store in Stockport and it is a pity that a lack of success at other towns around the country has led to this. There is not another book store to compare in Stockport.
"I have met some of the staff and I know that for many of them it is a hard job to replace as they enjoyed working there so much. It’s never a good time to lose a job, especially at Christmas."
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Shoppers will no doubt remember the closing down sales that swept Borders bookshops across the country and what it was like going there one last time, leaving with a discounted item in a Borders bag. By Christmas 2009, all Borders stores had closed, although a number of the bookshops still exist abroad.
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