2 Mission Viejo Borders Bookstores Will Be Empty by September

Mike Truyen has been drinking coffee and reading books at the on El Paseo for 12 years.

Now the bookstore is shutting its doors forever, and the 79-year-old San Clemente resident is distraught.

"If they would have charged me $10 to come, I would have paid it," said a visibly saddened Truyen, standing next to the military history section.

Truyen isn’t the only one affected by the upcoming closure of the two Borders bookstores in Mission Viejo—he’s on a list of hundreds that includes city officials searching for a new business to fill the spot, employees searching for new jobs and, of course, patrons searching for a new place to read.

Borders has been a part of the city since September 1994, according to city staffers.

On Feb. 16, Borders Group Inc. filed for bankruptcy after more than 40 years in business, and according to an email from the company CEO, stores began going-out-of-business sales July 22.

The company is in the process of shuttering its remaining 399 bookstores by September, a spokesperson said.

Mission Viejo has a Borders Bookstore at 25222 El Paseo Mission Viejo and Borders Express (a smaller version of the big-box store) at .

Monday

It’s Monday afternoon, and the Borders Bookstore parking lot on El Paseo is bustling.

The red and white sign that reads “Borders: Books and Music” still sits on the building’s southwest exterior, but below it, the store windows sport a different set of signs with yellow, black and red words: “Everything must go" and “Entire store up to 40 percent off.”

Southbound drivers on I-5 can read the black and yellow banner "Going out of business" along the building's northern side. 

On most days, people would be sitting in the cafe or in chairs around the store.

But the cafe chairs were bundled up behind the cafe counter, and seats for the entire store had disappeared.

Almost every aisle had a card taped to it that listed the products at 10, 20, 30 or 40 percent off.

Even the fixtures were up for sale, according to one of the signs in the window.

As the sun slowly dipped in the sky, people hunted the store for books and bargains.

Among them was Ryan Duffy, 15, who searched the slowly dwindling supply of graphic novels near the back of the Borders.

The 15-year-old resident said he’s been buying comics for four or five years there and shared his thoughts about the upcoming closure.

“It's a bit disappointing, but what are you going to do?” said Duffy, wearing a vintage-style Captain America T-shirt.

'Transition of Technology'

Mission Viejo resident Micah Bramwell, who was perusing the science-fiction section, said the store closure is “bittersweet” and probably the result of the “transition of technology.”

“Everyone’s buying stuff online,” said Bramwell, 29.

He said that though it’s easier to purchase items at home, people are always going to want a physical copy of the written word.  

“We're going to need the words on books,” said Bramwell, a bartender at a nearby Chili’s restaurant.

Bramwell isn’t the only one who thinks the store may be the latest casualty of the transition to digital entertainment.

In an email to members of the Borders rewards program, CEO Mike Edwards said the company is closing partly because of changing technology.

“The fact is that Borders has been facing headwinds for quite some time, including a rapidly changing book industry, the eReader revolution, and a turbulent economy.

"We put up a great fight, but regrettably, in the end we weren’t able to overcome these external forces," wrote Edwards in an email with the subject title: "A Fond Farewell ... Thank you for Shopping at Borders."

Piles

It’s still Monday afternoon, and the El Paseo bookstore is not its usual self.

Employees man the front counter, helping patrons with their purchases. 

And except for a lone security guard making his rounds in the back of the store, no staffers walk the aisles.

Computer monitors that employees used to search the store's inventory are now blocked by merchandise.

Glenn Beck books and a Hello Kitty Yahtzee game obscure one screen. A Jackie Robinson biography, stacks of advice books and flash cards detailing the bones and joints of the human body obscure another screen.

While many sections—romance, cooking or history—look full, others are showing their waning selections. 

The Blu-Ray section looks half empty, and the DVDs are missing at least 30 percent of their stock.

The books on some shelves, like a few in the transportation section, have fallen in on each other forming a slanted hill of discount wares.

Borders Express

As for the Borders Express in the Mission Viejo mall, if it weren’t for the signs and the discount price stickers, you wouldn’t know the store was closing soon.

That same Monday, the aisles were still full of books in proper order, with a trickle of customers visiting. 

The only noticeable difference was a thinning out of some of the magazines. 

Browsing at the photography section, Leonardo Gonzalez, 16, said he wasn’t aware that all Borders bookstores were closing.

The San Juan Capistrano resident says he’s been coming to Borders for manga (Japanese comics) and fiction for years.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Gonzalez said.

'Job Transition'

Though the managers and employees at both Mission Viejo Borders locations would not comment about the bankruptcy or when the stores would close, Mary Davis, Borders public relations manager, said all 399 remaining stores should be shuttered by September.

“It’s a very sad occurrence,” said Davis in a phone interview Tuesday. Not only are workers losing jobs, Davis said, but patrons are losing a community meeting place.

“We know our customers are really going to miss our services,” Davis said.

As for the question of future employment for local employees?

“We’re assisting with job transition issues,” Davis said. “We’re not commenting beyond that.”

She did confirm, however, that none of the employees will be working at Borders.

'Domino Effect'

Two of the El Paseo Border’s neighbors have already vanished: CompUSA and Linens 'n Things used to be right next door.

And that’s why says he’s concerned about “the domino effect," when one business closure leads to more and more closures.

“This is why we have to be proactive on finding people for those spots,” Leckness said in an interview Tuesday.

Leckness said city staffers are already seeking another business to replace Borders, and that the site on El Paseo would be a “gold mine” to whatever business goes in.

But the Borders closure has a human cost too, Leckness said.

“The bottom line: How does it affect the people?” Leckness said. “It’s devastating if you’re one of those kids or one of those employees that work there. Now all of a sudden you've got to find another job."