Farewell, Borders (Wheelock Place)

It's almost ridiculous that I'm actually inserting a post here mourning the demise of Borders (Wheelock Place), instead of squinting my eyes reading some rather incomprehensible material. But, there are some things in life which just can't be replaced, and Borders is one of them.

It's not surprising, given how USA's Borders had closed down. Yes, there is no affiliation between the two Borders, but surely the closing of Borders sparks the first indication to show that sooner or later, bookstores will be taken over by the evil era of nookreaders, ipads and the like.

Borders (Wheelock Place) has been in Singapore for 13 years. i.e. I saw how this place entered and exited. Entered with much pomp, yet exiting with nary a whimper. This place holds memories for me. This was where I bought my first two Harry Potter books. I remember walking down aisle by aisle, and being in primary school where the world of wizardry was so appealing, this was the place to pester my mum to get the books for me.

As I grew older, Borders came to mean somewhere I could just loiter aimlessly. By the way, i only buy my books from Borders and no other book store. (excluding textbooks). The books in the book collection I have at home all come from Borders.

Sometimes, when life proves to be extremely dull, I will grab a random book from the Bestseller's List shelf, find a secluded corner with a couch and just read half the day away. Depending on whether I like it, I will then decide whether to buy it. It was a bookstore that did not fiercely safeguard its books in taut plastic wrap, just so that you HAD to buy it.

With the flux of technological gadgets, books seem to be gradually fading into the background. I once met a bookstore seller in Washington DC, who with much regret told me his story about how his little bookstore had closed down. And later, he was showing me how powerful his iPad was, because he could download books from there! Ironies of life, really.

The branch in Parkway is the only other hope for my book collection. Please, Borders Parkway, keep yourself well and safe!