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Grex > Classical > #54: Music retail again: SKR Uptown (Classical) & Downtown to close |  |
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| 25 new of 194 responses total. |
scg
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response 23 of 194:
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Jan 10 07:19 UTC 2001 |
Interesting comments about Borders. My feeling too has been that the Ann
Arbor Borders has been slipping the last few years, but at least as of six
months ago it still struck me as a good bookstore. Perhaps it's because it
was the layout I was used to, but I still generally went into Borders and
found lots of stuff I wanted to read, very easily, and when I did have
questions for the staff they usually seemed to know which books or sections
to direct me towards. I don't know whether it's the staff in the Ann Arbor
Borders that does the parts of the layout that aren't dictated by what the
publishers pay them to do, but even if the dictates are coming from the Ann
Arbor based headquarters, it's likely that the Ann Arbor Borders is the one
the people doing the layout see on a regular basis.
I've spent the last several months scouting Bay Area bookstores, with the Ann
Arbor Borders being the standard I measure others against. Looking at the
various Borders clone stores has been interesting. They all seem to have
copied their sections from the Ann Arbor Borders, but the implementations vary
widely. The Union Square Borders in San Francisco has all the sections, and
probably all the same titles, as the Ann Arbor Borders, but has the feel of
something that somebody put together from an instruction manual, without
really understanding what they were doing, such that even being very familiar
with what they had apparrently been trying to copy, finding stuff there was
pretty maddening. The Palo Alto Borders, on the other hand, I found to be
quite nice. Once again, it has the same sections, and probably most of the
same titles, as the Ann Arbor store, but they seem to have done the layout
very well. Their sections focusing on more local stuff, which I assume aren't
dictated too strictly from headquarters, are stocked with lots of interesting
stuff. The building is different enough from the Ann Arbor Borders that
copying the layout wouldn't work, but the layout they do have works very well.
I haven't interacted much with the staff there, but it's been because I didn't
have to. Being in a university town probably makes a big difference to the
sort of staff they hire.
I've been exploring non-Borders bookstores too. There's a bookstore in my
neighborhood that certainly fits Jan's requirement of having a staff that's
passionate about books, and I know lots of people who think it's the world's
best bookstore, but I've never had much luck finding what I was looking for
there. The best conclusion I can come to about the place is that the staff
is passionate about a different type of books than I like, but I also get the
impression they haven't given much thought to how a bookstore should be
organized. There are some good independant bookstores or small chains around
here, though. Staceys, which is next door to my office (can't beat the
location), is every bit as huge as the Borders stores, and seems to have a
very good selection. Still, it made me feel like I had to really look to find
the interesting stuff burried among the rest of the selection. Stuff I knew
I wanted was easy, but it seemed like the sort of store I could browse in for
a long time before finding anything that would really grab me. Telegraph Ave,
the street in Berkeley that seems like a year round combination of Ann Arbor's
Art Fair and Hash Bash, has a couple of good bookstores. Moe's seems to
mostly be a used bookstore, with a collection large enough to seem really
daunting. Their new section is considerably smaller, so the selection is
somewaht limited, but the stuff they do have is pretty good. Next door to
Moe's is Cody's, which is quickly becoming my favorite. It reminds me
somewhat of the pre-chain Borders, back when it was on State Street. It's
very much an academic bookstore, with a huge selection obviously arranged by
people who understood what they were doing. The tables and book displays just
inside the door are covered with interesting stuff. It's the place here that
I walk into not intending to buy anything, and come out with large quantities
of stuff that I really want to read, which is what used to be the best thing
about Borders.
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mdw
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response 24 of 194:
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Jan 10 10:13 UTC 2001 |
My parents are very impressed by the Borders in Rochester. This
surprised me a bit, but in thinking about it, even in it's attenuated
chain form, it may still be overall better than anything else I can
think of in the Rochester NY area. When I was growing up, there were a
variety of bookstores in Rochester, but not a huge number and they each
had their interesting limitations. I also think most of those places
have since gone under - mostly for reasons not connected to Borders. I
remember Toronto as being a much more exciting place to buy books and a
real treat compared to what was available in Rochester. I'm not sure
that's true today. The chains seem to have invaded Toronto as well and
it seems much more the same as what we have here in the states.
Used book stores still seem to be more different; I don't quite
understand why, but it always seems like used book stores in different
states have categorically different "stuff".
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senna
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response 25 of 194:
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Jan 10 18:39 UTC 2001 |
I've never enjoyed Borders excessively much, because I'm mostly familiar with
the newer location and I like places (Barnes and Noble, specifically) with
comfortable chairs that I can sit and read in. It is, however, a good place
to buy books. The World's Largest Bookstore (that's the title) in Toronto
is a sterile warehouse by comparison, but it still has a lot of books. I
don't know. I like sedate, relaxed places, no unlike libraries. Borders is
a bit too crammed for that.
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orinoco
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response 26 of 194:
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Jan 10 19:20 UTC 2001 |
Isn't that interesting? I was just about to say the opposite: that for all
I find Borders annoying, it's still ten times better than the other bookstore
chains. De gustibus etc. etc.
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remmers
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response 27 of 194:
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Jan 10 22:37 UTC 2001 |
Sometimes my drive home from work takes me past the Arborland Borders
store. I prefer to drive a few blocks farther and drop in at Barnes &
Noble instead. Guess that says something about the current state of
Borders.
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keesan
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response 28 of 194:
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Jan 10 22:47 UTC 2001 |
Borders is one of two stores (the other being the Main St. discount book
store) that is open later than the library, which we appreciate on our nights
out and about.
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dbratman
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response 29 of 194:
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Jan 11 01:10 UTC 2001 |
An out-of-towner pitches in:
Ann Arbor was the original home of Borders, right?
Now you guys must know how Dr. Frankenstein felt.
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ashke
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response 30 of 194:
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Jan 11 01:17 UTC 2001 |
And how. And this one used to WORK for them. {shudders} Unfortunaly, they
take a very odd approach to their stores, from a corporate standpoint. They
replenish not based upon what's popular, but the program is written to
replenish stores, basically one for one sold. And that makes a lot of it
childrens books. Not good for money. I should know, I helped write the
program. I like them because they can be nice to read in, however, the chairs
in other stores are more inviting that the "new" downtown borders, and the
new arborland one. I LIKED the old borders store and kinda wish they hadn't
moved.
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scg
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response 31 of 194:
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Jan 11 01:34 UTC 2001 |
I only went to the Arborland Borders once, but it strikes me as a typical
strip mall Borders, much like the one in Emeryville, They seem a rather
different type of Borders than the downtown Borders stores, especially the
stores that are in downtowns near universities.
Whether that's intentional or an artifact of the types of employees they draw
I don't know.
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mcnally
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response 32 of 194:
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Jan 11 01:43 UTC 2001 |
My guess is the latter -- that it hass to do with the employees..
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scott
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response 33 of 194:
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Jan 11 01:52 UTC 2001 |
Supposedly the downtown A2 Borders is a training center of sorts.
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janc
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response 34 of 194:
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Jan 11 02:13 UTC 2001 |
I feel like it is only in the last year that Borders, after a long steady
slump, finally bit the dust. Some of the more obvious symptoms: In the
Science Fiction section they have removed the old shelf that used to have new
releases from the last few weeks in it. Why? For a regular shopper that's
an amazing convenience. It had gotten fairly unreliable for a while - a
reissue of an old Robert Jordon book with a new cover on it gets displayed,
but a new book by Norman Spinrad just gets slipped quietly into the back
shelves. Sure, they can expect to sell more of the Jordan, but it's basically
a marketing ploy to get more people to start reading his endless series of
big fat books (each book in such a series much have lower sales than the one
before, so getting the first book read a lot is important from a marketing
point of view), while the a Spinrad book is something worth noting for people
who care about the insides of books. Tastes vary, and I certainly agree that
a new book by Robert Jordan, or even Mercedes Lackey deserves prominent
placement, but I'd rather shop in a bookstore that gives the appearance of
servering the agenda of me, the reader, rather than of the publishing
companies. Anyway, the "new books" shelf has completely vanished, replaced
by a desultry display of "book we are pushing this month" - sometimes new,
mostly not. There is a table with new paperback fiction, where Science
Fiction is mixed with Mystery, Horror and General Fiction. I could live with
that, if it actually did a decent job, but it doesn't. I still have to search
the stacks for new books deemed unworthy of public display.
I'm not a shopper who commonly asks staff a lot of questions, so I don't have
a direct way of telling if they have much going on in their heads. They seem
like generally cool people, from the talk I overhear, and not incompetant,
but not really into it. I actually feel like I know the guy who used to do
science fiction and later computers at borders, although I never spoke more
than a few sentences with him, and I'm sure he has no idea who I am. I'd sign
up to be in his fan club any day. I still see him on the streets from time
to time, but not in borders anymore. Wonder what he's up to.
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krj
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response 35 of 194:
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Jan 11 03:08 UTC 2001 |
Wednesday's Ann Arbor News has a story in the business section about
the SKR closing. Jim Leonard says, paraphrasing, that the heavy snows
of December killed holiday sales, and that he shouldn't have expanded
the stores.
Steve Bergman says that his sales at Schoolkids-in-the-Basement were
up 70% for the year, but he does not forsee a return to street-level
retailing.
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davel
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response 36 of 194:
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Jan 11 14:29 UTC 2001 |
I've had occasion, recently, to ask for help at Borders. Several times. In
the OLD old days (across the street) the average staffer would probably have
known where to find the exact book. These days, well, they tried to help.
When the computer didn't turn up ANYTHING by the author, literally, I started
guessing other possible locations (than the one I'd checked already). (This
was fantasy, but somewhat juvenile. Not with fantasy/sf. Is it in either
of a couple of "children's" places? No. Is it in Young Adult? Yes, several
different titles. (Why didn't the computer find them by author??)) <sigh>
That's the most recent time I sought help, but is fairly typical.
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anderyn
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response 37 of 194:
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Jan 11 15:12 UTC 2001 |
Mmmm, yes, that seems to be the norm at Borders these days -- if it's not on
the computer, then it doesn't exist. No matter that I have an isbn or review,
or anything like that.... siiiigh
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slynne
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response 38 of 194:
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Jan 11 17:53 UTC 2001 |
Yeah. The computer makes it interesting for sure. Having the computer
allows Borders to pay the staff less because it helps them deal with the
higher turnover rates that the lower pay tends to cause. When they pay
the staff less, it allows them to sell books for less and still make a
profit. The computer system also allows Borders to cut costs in
other ways. But, it does mean less customer service than one might get
at a non-chain bookstore with a long term staff. Unfortunately, really
good bookstores just arent as profitable as chains like Borders and
Barnes and Noble.
Personally, I have found the staff at Borders to be pretty amazing
considering the very very low amount they are being paid.
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dbratman
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response 39 of 194:
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Jan 11 19:23 UTC 2001 |
The one remaining (that I knew of) independent retailer of classical
music recordings in the Bay Area closed down last month. They weren't
convenient to me, so I didn't go there often, and in any case the only
area where their stock was superior to Tower's was musical theatre.
Stores like that are supposed to thrive on service, so I can't forget
the time I asked them about something by Malcolm Arnold, and the clerk
couldn't find him in the computer because he didn't know how to
spell "Malcolm". Rather than give the clerk a spelling lesson, I just
gave up and left.
(Nor can I forget the independent bookstore whose clerk and owner told
me to stop reading in the bookstore - after 15 minutes, while I had a
bunch of other books under my arm I was planning to buy. They insisted
that no bookstore could permit such a thing, and I think of this
whenever I see the comfy chairs in B&N or elsewhere. Needless to say,
that bookstore is long out of business.)
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scg
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response 40 of 194:
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Jan 12 01:51 UTC 2001 |
It occurrs to me that given the general lack of customer service in the Bay
Area, having customer service standards dictated by a large corporation
located elsewhere might actually be a good thing.
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johnnie
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response 41 of 194:
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Jan 13 05:15 UTC 2001 |
I have to echo janc's feelings about Borders, but it died somewhat
earlier for me than he. I used to go into Border's hoping to find a
book on some obscure subject, and be able to find at least a few that
fit the bill fairly well, and one that was perfect, as well as running
across a bunch of other books I hadn't know I wanted desperately. This
is the standard I use to judge bookstores. But Border's stopped
fulfilling that need at some point before they moved into the Big Store.
They have a lot of books now, but little selection.
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krj
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response 42 of 194:
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Jan 13 20:40 UTC 2001 |
I stopped by the SKR stores on Liberty to see if the closeout
discount had been upped to 50%. The stores were closed and locked;
later I heard that the inventory had been seized by the bank.
Signs in the window advise to watch for the liquidation sale.
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happyboy
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response 43 of 194:
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Jan 13 20:43 UTC 2001 |
ha ha!
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davel
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response 44 of 194:
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Jan 15 15:00 UTC 2001 |
Yes, I tried to go there Friday, to find stores locked & dark, no signs other
than the 30% off ones. <sigh>
I'd be interested in the liquidation sale, but probably won't find out about
it until too late.
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dbratman
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response 45 of 194:
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Jan 17 03:26 UTC 2001 |
Wow. I always feel like a gathering vulture in circumstances like this.
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coyote
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response 46 of 194:
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Jan 20 19:31 UTC 2001 |
SKR's liquidation sale ends today at 3:00 PM. It started Thursday.
Everything is 50% off. All the furnature and fixtures are for sale. At 5:00
today there will be an auction of large lots of everything that's left.
I went to the sale on Thursday, and almost cried on my way out.
SKR before its expansion was the only store in Ann Arbor that had a great
classical selection and knowledgable staff that could guide you through it.
Since I'm also a strong supporter of locally owned businesses, this was one
of my favorite stores in town.
I never turned to the Internet for making my music purchases. I enjoy the
process of browsing though the rows of CDs with something in mind, but taking
detours and finding other, unexpected treasures in the process.
Where will I go now? Borders has a good selection, but most of the staff
isn't able to guide me out of a cardboard box. The classical half of Tower
Records was good, but they're gone now. Discount and Harmony House have
insignificant classical collections and lack knowledgable staff. I'm fond
of Encore, but sometimes I can't find what I'm looking for used or I want to
make a special order. I guess now I'm on my own.
You will be sorely missed, SKR.
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krj
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response 47 of 194:
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Jan 20 21:23 UTC 2001 |
Ah, sorry I missed it. For serious classical music shopping, I think you
now need to drive to the Harmony House Classical store in Royal Oak
Thanks for the report.
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