New Borders spreads its wings

Park Meadows store offers more than just books

By Bill Gallo, Special to the Rocky

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Linda McConnell / Special To The Rocky

Ken Belton, Borders' Midwest sales director, wants the new interactive features in the Park Meadows store to be as accessible as possible to everyone.

The roomy new Borders "concept store" at Park Meadows Shopping Center will carry 80,000 to 100,000 book titles along with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based chain's usual array of CDs, movies, audio books and periodicals.

Here's what's different: the 29,082-square-foot store, in the newly redeveloped southwest quadrant of the mall, called The Vistas, also features high-def TV monitors and five high-tech "destinations" where patrons can use computer kiosks to make customized music CDs for $10, plot their future as authors, book vacation trips or whet their appetite for the latest in, say, Italian or vegetarian cooking trends.

"We wanted to update some of our stores beyond the usual refreshers," said Ken Belton, Borders' Midwest sales director. "We wanted to differentiate from our competitors and make the new (interactive) features as accessible as possible to the masses. But we didn't want to dumb it down."

The entirely new Park Meadows location, with its two-story glass atrium and dramatic mountain views, is the sixth of 14 new-wave flagships the 532-store Borders chain will launch this year. They are the brainchild of CEO George Jones, on the job just 18 months and eager to "bring new conceptual elements to an interactive book-buying experience," according to Gary McManners, general manager of the store.

It is about 20 percent larger than most Borders outlets and aims to be kid- and parent-friendly. The wide-aisled children's book section features kindergartener-height display tables and computer stations. The graphic novels "shop-within-a-shop" features Manga, Superhero and Independent Graphic Novels, the hottest tickets in visual kiddie- and young adult-lit.

Borders' grand-opening weekend, May 30-June 1, will feature prizes and giveaways, book-signings by children's author Linda Ashman and thrillermeister Stephen White and visits by star primate Curious George.

"We hope that people will begin to see us as a viable place for events - author events, celebrity chefs, musical performances," said spokesman Jeffrey Neuman

Despite the new bells and whistles, though, Borders patrons will still be encouraged to take their time, to browse, to cogitate. "There's no hard sell here," Belton said.

New 'destinations'

* Digital Center: At the touch of a few buttons: CD compilations, music downloads, personal publishing (tech partner: Lulu.com), genealogy search service, audiobook downloads and custom photo album assembly. Audio/visual support products from Sony, iPod, Slingbox and Flip Video, among others.

* Cooking: Via computer and TV monitor, people who love food can indulge their virtual tastebuds with chef videos, cookbook recommendations and recipe printouts. Borders stocks thousands of cookbooks, an increasingly lucrative slice of the market.

* Wellness: Book and DVD recommendations, personal health programs, TV clips on diet, nutrition and exercise, custom book searches.

* Travel: This month's featured location is Paris, but if your "dream vacation" points you toward Greece, Ireland or Iowa, chart your course and shop for reservations at this Borders kiosk, with a little techno-partnering from Sidestep, Hotwire and Priceline.

* Children's: Everything for toddlers, preschoolers and on up, including the pull-toy and the teddy bear.