Borders is closing. And how does this relate to real estate brokerages?

First, I love being an independent. As to reading, I love books. Happily, I've built up quite a little library of my own over the years. A favorite passtime is to go to garage sales and check out what books they have for sale. Have quite an eclectic collection. Borders was great but with the advent of the Internet, really have gotten much of my information there. If I really want something now, I go to Amazon and order it to be delivered.

Sorry to see Borders leave the book selling market.  I think competion is healthy and it looks like it is shrinking in the book world.

All I have to say about this is CAN I LIST YOUR STORES? 

I haven't shopped at one since college and certainly don't miss it.

My exwife was a stockholder judging by all the books she has, but me, i am fine finding all I need online. 

Pat,

I'm a big bookstore guy. Sad to see Borders go, but sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to. I agree that Borders is similar to big franchises, and that we will see a change in the real estate business in the next five years.

The computer continues to remake our social, cultural, business ...and even our brick and mortar environment, too.

Just wait until it really impacts education.

We had a small local book store almost go out of business before it got reigned back in with a little community spirit and less interest in stores like Borders and Amazon.com.  People like to be hands on with books and to talk to a bookseller.  As long as people want something similar in real estate, the little buys will still be around.

I've worked for the big boys and hand downs for me the little mom and pop shops are the ones for me.

Hi Pat, Our Borders closed and I got some great deals of some books that I wanted and helped them a tiny little bit to liquidate the inventory. Sorry they closed though. What I have noticed with real estate operations is that there are more and more small one and two person shops opening and some new hybrid virtual brokerages as well. The future looks more different today than anytime I remember. And I sure it will evolve some more before things seem to settle down and get normal if they ever do. I am thinking that this may be the new normal maybe for decades to come.

Wonderful analogy, Patricia.  I think it's so important to support local businesses. It helps all of us.

"Politics and Prose, Olssen's and Kramerbooks"

Ahh!!  I remember them well, all BB (before Borders).

When markets and business models change, and you stick to the old stuff, you will get swallowed up.

My big beef with Borders is that the books I want have to be ordered (they carry Mao and Marx, whom I have read for education, but not what I read currently).  Then they shrug their shoulders and tell me it will be 3 weeks.  What?  Amazon has anything I want to me in two days.

They can't compete with that.

What you forget is that the Borders model superseded and replaced the smaller stores before it came along!

Hi Pat, we lost a lot of little bookstores over the years and those were my favorite. We have 2 offices where I am. They have been there for 35 years and we will continue to be.

Pat, I have so much to say and probably shouldn't, LOL. OK, let me just say, I love small, local book stores and I love small, local, independent offices. Oh wait, I said too much!

Service businesses are different than product retailers. Consumers enjoy a great experience and good value from their service providers. To the extent we provide those things well, we have highly satisfied customers - regardless of whether we are in a large or small firm.

Just proves that it's all about HOW you perform your business or work on a personal level, Pat ... not the size of the company you work for.  That may draw them in initially, but it still boils down to performance.  If that's not there ... they move on.  Small and independent typically can and does respond better.  No big company rules and regulations to answer to.  Service is the name of the game ... and small .. independent ... still as a rule does that much better.  You just blogged the proof ...

Gene

Pat - While Borders was a large store in your area, where I am they were small and scattered. I think I was in more Borders book stores when in DC than I ever was down here in Florida!

As for brokerages, I started off in a small independent brokerage and received no assistance or training. I went to a large national brokerage for a couple of years, received tons of training and gave them 30% of every sale I made.

When I moved brokerages last time I went with a large LOCAL brokerage. While this brokerage is now in three states (Florida, Illinois and New York) the home office and location of the owners is right here in Clearwater. Even though it is a large brokerage, it feels small because the small group that frequent the office are a close knit family. That makes all the difference in the world to me!

Pat - We do have a Borders in our small County (used to be Waldenbooks), but it is a VERY small story...not your typically big box Borders.  I, for one, will not miss it.  I LOVE our local bookstore...The Country Bookshop!  We also have 2 Used Bookstores to shop at.  As for RE Brokerages....well, I've been an owner of the National Franchise and I decided to go back to being the owner of a Smaller Independant Owned Real Estate Business....now, I answer to ME...enough said :-)  I'm MUCH happier!  I personally think that the 'Kindle' revolution will bring back our small-town independant bookstores...yahoo!

I have seen several agents in the Atlanta market move to smaller companies.  The largest RE/MAX franchise in Atlanta just filed BK.  Many of their agents had already left though.

We have no small guys here.  And even when we did, they did not offer the coffee area or the lounge chairs where people could meet up.  And they had a VERY limited selection.  I much prefer the setting in Barnes and Noble and Borders.  You sure can't get that at Amazon and there's no room at the independents.

Everytime we swipe our debit cards we are voting. Voting for or against jobs. Voting for or against a local farmer. And ultimately, for or against our local housing economy.

I wish it were as simple as saying "Buy Local...all the time!" But it's not. Local does not necessarily mean small. Franchise doesn't always = not locally owned/operated.

Thanks for starting the converstion Pat.