Borders closed its doors for the final time Sunday after purging almost its entire inventory, including furniture.
Dozens of customers searched through the leftover books, magazines and CDs left in the store, 6837 W. Newberry Road, while others left with bookshelves.
Most books were sold for less than $5.
“Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance” by David Archuleta was one of the last books on the shelves.
“It’s really sad the store is gone,” said Nandy Ferguson, the general store manager of the Florida Book Store.
The store’s 26 employees are now out of a job, including Ferguson’s husband, Brian. He was Borders’ inventory manager for five years.
She said he became close friends with his co-workers, which is another reason he will miss his job.
UF English major Alexandra Murnaghan went to the store two nights before it closed. Inside, it was silent. People tiptoed in between bookcases and whispered to their friends. Customers glared at a man who sneezed, as if the noise bothered them.
“I felt like I was in a library,” she said. “It was very eerie.”
The store is one of 200 within the Ann Arbor, Mich.,-based company to close due to lack of sales. The business filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in February.
The Gainesville branch opened in November 1999 but was placed on Borders’ list of “underperforming stores.”
Its closure was announced Feb. 16, and the location had closeout sales since then. The store recently had signs in the windows announcing 80 to 90 percent off the store’s inventory.
David Denslow, a UF economics professor, said the increase of sales in electronic books on iPads and Nooks contributed to the store’s downfall.
The ebook of the New York Times bestseller, “Water for Elephants,” is $4.17 on Amazon. Amazon’s hardcover edition is $16.29.
The large paperback version is sold for $14.95 at Borders stores that are still open.
