Closing the book on a landmark in Cedarhurst

By Michael Orbach

Issue of April 24, 2009 / 30 Nissan 5769

The Borders bookstore on Central Ave. survived two wars, three financial crises, and five U.S. presidents, but after 31 years it is closing its doors.

The store opened in 1978 as Walden Books, a subsidiary of K-Mart. It became Reader’s Market, then Walden Books again until it was bought out by Borders. For most residents of the Five Towns, the bookstore was a rarity: a chain-store that managed nonetheless to become an integral part of the neighborhood and a necessary stop before the weekend.

Julie and Erica Sneider, a mother and daughter, waited for the cashier on the last Monday of the store’s run. “I came here for baby books before you were born,” Julie said to her daughter who smiled shyly; Erica is now a doctor.

Customers browsed through the aisles in the early afternoon; everything was marked 40 percent off. Sales were brisk in the week after the closing was announced; a day earlier a line had stretched around the store. By noon on Monday some shelves were already empty.

The staff had known that there were negotiations between Basser Kaufman, the landlord, and Borders, but were told that the store would close at the end of April. As at most businesses on Central Ave., sales had been down through the year, though not exceptionally. According to Steven Kaufman of Basser Kaufman, Borders asked for and received a rent reduction, but after three months Borders changed its mind and refused to honor the agreement.

“We gave them the exact rent they wanted,” Kaufman said. “The company is in trouble. You can check on Google. They're in the superstore and airport kiosk business. They’re not interested in stores on main streets.”

Kaufman said the store did over a million dollars in business every year and was profitable. “We're a community of readers,” he said.

Mary Davis, a spokesperson for Borders, said that the closing was part of Borders’ previously announced plan to “rightsize their Walden Books specialty retail segment” which shut stores that did not meet their profit objective.

“No retailer can afford to operate stores that don’t perform, especially in this economic climate,” said Davis.

The store’s first and only manager, Brad Ruter, recounted that when the store first opened, Central Ave. was known as the South Shore Miracle Mile and was home to three other bookstores. With Borders closing, the nearest bookstore is miles away.

“We’ve had families grow up here,” Ruter lamented. "Kids worked here through high school. We’ve launched a lot of young careers.”

Ruter singled out Sheila Waters and Sarajane Giddings, who have both worked in the store for 20 years. Giddings now works part-time while running Speaking Of, which organizes book clubs. She founded the company after a customer invited her to a book club. Her eyes watered when she recounted her favorite memories of the store, including the friendships she made over the years.

“One woman told me I was her closest friend,” Giddings said. “It’s like my home."

The mood in the bookstore was somber, but the sadness was mixed with gratitude for the store’s long run and for the community that supported it.

Kellie O’Rourke, an employee for the last year and a half, explained the sentiment.

“I guess the basic feeling is none of us were here for the money,” she said. “We’re a different kind of store.”

In a notebook on the bestseller table, customers wrote their recommendations. "The Sistine Secrets" by Benjamin Blech was recommended in one customer's messy scrawl, "for art historians.”

The store functioned as a meeting place where members of a diverse community interacted with one another; a thriller by Stephen King sat next to an esoteric short story collection by Max Apple and a line of Christian fiction books shared space with the collected works of Sholom Aleichem.

Moshe Rube, who is in his first year of post-high school study at the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, said the last book he purchased was a Calvin and Hobbes collection. Kathleen Rooney, who works in a nearby law office, browsed through new releases and said she felt she would now be hard-pressed to find a store where she can buy books.

Rachel Fine, the owner of Kurious Kids, a neighbor of Borders for the last 11 years, called the closing especially grim since "in this neighborhood, everyone reads."

“It’s a sign of the times,” she said, sighing.

Other merchants were equally saddened. “The stores that made Cedarhurst what it was are disappearing," said Nita Klinkowitz, who owns Banim on Cedarhurst Ave. "It was always a wonderful neighborhood to live and grow up in.”

Behind the cash register, Giddings passed out bags emblazoned with the old Reader’s Market logo.

“Too bad we didn’t start a diary,” Giddings said. “We’ve had so many interesting, wonderful customers. We should have written our own book.”