Remembering the Tysons Corner Borders Store

On February 16, citing “the continued difficult economy and changing book-selling environment,” Borders Group announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  At the same time they announced the closing of 200 stores, including their Tysons Corner location.

I worked at that location for almost 12 years, starting as a bookseller in 1997 and serving as General Manager from 2006 to 2008, at which time I moved to another location.  While Borders presence in Tysons Corner has been in decline in recent years, the store has a long history in the area.

“Borders was the last store opened by Tom and Louis Borders before they sold the chain to K-Mart [who took it public in 1995],” states Ray Dinterman, Regional Director for the DC market from 1996 to 2008.  “It had a long and impressive history.”

Borders opened its first Tysons Corner location in 1992. Then it was located in the strip shopping center near the intersection of routes 7 and 123, currently occupied by Pier 1 Imports.  At approximately 22,000 square feet, the store housed over 200,000 pieces of merchandise. And a huge parking lot.

I first visited shortly after it opened and couldn’t believe my eyes.  Books filled the store from floor to ceiling.  For somebody who grew up in Northern Virginia and whose book-buying choices were limited to discounters like Crown Books, seeing that much inventory was like getting a tall drink of water after a lifetime in the desert.  Great bookstores are not places you shop; they’re places you vanish.  Borders, contrary to popular opinion, did not succeed in the 90s because of their wonderful ability to discount.  They succeeded by having more books and knowing more about them than any other company.

Each store was unique.  “That’s what Borders was most proud of for so long,” says April Lilley, General Manager at Tysons from 2002 to 2006.  “They were the community bookstore.”

In 1997, when I decided to take a bookseller position instead of “getting a real job,” I saw this first hand.  The Tysons corner area at the time was engulfed in the first wave of technological prosperity surrounding the internet and I was given the task of shelving the computer section.  To this day I can tell you the late 90s best books for MCSE Exam Prep, or how Donald Knuth wrote the “Art of Computer Programming,” even though I actually know next to nothing on those subjects.  At one time, though, computer and business book sales accounted for almost 25% of sales in the store and our inventory reflected that fact.

We also created our own events.  A special, manager-level position existed at the store called Community Relations Coordinator, a person who each week put together an events program featuring book signings, lectures, music and kids events.  The old Tysons location didn’t get many nationally-known authors, but we had a full program with multiple events each week that made the store a destination for people in Vienna, Great Falls and McLean.  Mr. Knick-Knack performed every Saturday morning and some great bands played on Friday night.  For many, if you had nothing to do, you went to Borders.

Very slowly, though, efficiency crept in.  The old management at corporate left and new executives from the grocery industry arrived.  The Community Relations Coordinators were the first to go, then inventory was streamlined and our backlist began to be reduced.  Instead of bringing people in with the possibility of intellectual stimulation, we began discounting, then cutting costs on the back end by reducing payroll, decreasing inventory and cutting benefits.  Unfortunately, though, discounts were not what brought people to Borders to begin with.  Each book that was cut or person eliminated from payroll served only to give customers less reason to come to the store.  Looking back, it’s ridiculous.  We tried to fight Amazon by discounting.

2003 saw the Tysons store move to its current 29,000 square foot location on route 7 across from the first Tysons Corner mall.  The move was precipitated by a long-standing desire to add a CD section in the hopes of creating a high-volume mega-store similar to what Borders had in Baileys Crossroads.  Unfortunately, though, it never worked out.

“I thought it was a mistake on Borders part to move to this location from the other one,” says Vienna resident Eric Z, a long-time customer.  “It’s not visible from the road, it’s impossible to get in and out and you have to pay for parking.  The only reason I come here is that it’s close.”

“The handwriting was on the wall from the time of the move from the old location,” stated Rev. William Federici of Emmaus Church, a favorite customer.  “It was inaccessible.”

“To me,” says Dave Hurley, an employee who became General Manager in 2008, “this store was a microcosm of everything that went wrong at Borders.”

At the new location, the problem of parking dominated the discussion.  The location was difficult to find and enter. Plus the books tore was now located in one of the few  buildings in the area that charged.  “I remember e-mailing the home office about it,” states Lilley.  “I was told that ‘$2 is the going rate for parking in Tysons Corner.’  Where?  Where in Tysons do people pay for parking?”

To this day, when I mention I managed that store, I’ll receive complaints about the parking.  Most customers don’t know the battles the store staff fought over the issue with the home office, the building management and the parking company itself.  Customer complaints were a daily occurrence for years, and only decreased as customers stopped coming to the store.  We tried, but were ultimately powerless to stop it. 

Despite the difficulties, the pleasant and helpful staff at the store led the district in customer service.  We hosted some unbelievable events with Cal Ripken Jr., Madeleine Albright, Rachael Ray and many more.  They Might Be Giants gave an unbelievable free performance for 900 kids in our reference section, and our Harry Potter events brought in thousands.

I am heart-broken that the Tysons Corner Borders is closing down even if over the years it has seemed increasingly inevitable.  It is difficult for me to express my appreciation to the wonderful people who I worked alongside.  I wish I had space here to relay some of my favorite memories, but unfortunately I do not.  I hope, though, that people will always remember it at its best.

Mike Conway is a freelance writer.