Borders Bookstore in Sherman Oaks to Close, Company Confirms

Five minutes before the 10 a.m. opening of Borders Bookstore in Sherman Oaks Thursday morning, several people were anxiously waiting outside.

"I've got a $10 credit from this store, and I want to make sure I get my money," said a woman holding up a piece of paper.  

"I lost money when Linens and Things went out of business and I ended up with a  credit that was worthless. I don't want that to happen again," said the woman, who declined to give her name.

A man waiting at the front door added, "I'm hoping they're going to offer big discounts on books now that they are closing." The man, who described himself as an unemployed insurance salesman, added, "I'm wondering if the price reductions will begin today."

The Borders in Sherman Oaks is one of about 200 Borders stores that will be closed as part of the Borders Group bankruptcy-protection filing, announced earlier this month.

The nation's second-largest bookseller released a statement saying that poor sales and heavy debt are the reason they are scaling back operations.

But there's a bit more to the story in Sherman Oaks.

The Los Angeles Times reported the Borders story in its Thursday edition, saying: "In California, 35 stores will be shuttered, including 21 in Southern California. Among those being closed are stores in Century City, Glendale, Valencia, Tustin, Orange, Oxnard, Long Beach and Pasadena."

No mention was made of Sherman Oaks, which some local customers took to mean that their neighborhood store would remain open—which is not the case. The newspaper simply did not mention all of the 21 stores in Southern California that will be closing.

 In fact, one reader of Sherman Oaks Patch took us to task for reporting that the store on Ventura Boulevard would be closing.

When the store opened at 10 a.m. Thursday, the employee opening the doors was asked about the future of the Borders store at 14651 Ventura Blvd.

"We're closing in April," he said.

One reader, writing to Sherman Oaks Patch in our comments section, advised people to check with the Borders company Web site. ( )

"For anyone willing to look at the company website which actually lists all stores to be closed by April, here is the link," he said.

http://www.bordersreorganization.com/Reorganization_Closure_List.pdf

Thank you, Dick.