Borders Books Music & Cafe

They’re closing, it stinks. Another empty building in Downtown. I went in here often over the past year of working in the area and I’m sad to see them leave. They were always busy, and opened at 7am! So before work to kill some time was the time to go!
RIP Borders :(
I, along with many others will miss you greatly.

RIP to Borders. It is a shame that good old fashioned books are going to way of the Ipad or the Nook or the Kindle and so on… the café was already closed for good.
I added photos of the closing that is under way. This location had a lot of character with the old bank details and I hope something as nice replaces it.

Oh, Borders. You taunt me with your 40% off coupons that are somehow still more expensive than online retailers. You drive me batty with your book classifications. You boggle me by hardly ever removing some of the front-​of-​the-​store books (they can’t ALL be awesome bestsellers for forever and a day).
But your café is nice. On cold, snowy days it’s a great place to grab a small hot drink and sit upstairs, people-​watching those that walk down below. It ever has free samples of sandwiches or baked goodies at the end of the day from time to time. A nice respite from the cold — that’s what you’re good for.

Huuuuge store with a grand entrance, but this book store doesn’t make you want to stay. The books upstairs were kind of a mess sometimes on the shelves and it was way too stuffy.
I know borders is going through Bankruptcy, but did they really have to get rid of central air too?
Good news is, there are 40% off coupons for Borders floating around on the internet, so if you know what you want, get the coupon, come get the book and peace out.

Thank you Borders for providing free wifi to us. We needed a break from walking the Freedom Trail. Plus, we wanted to look for upcoming restaurants to try in the area. Seats/​sofas are located near the Travel area.
Please have someone clean the bathroom often. The women bathroom reeked.

Selection: This store has a lot of books. If you’re picking up a bunch of things you can order them online and then just pick them up at the register. They put out the best sellers/​new releases out on the front, so you can get in and out if you’re picking up the newest twilight book. (If you’re reading twilight though, please reconsider your life choices).
Layout: This store isn’t organized very well. On the first floor you have best sellers, magazines, fiction, and some non fiction. On the mezzanine you have a seating area. Then on the 2^nd floor you have more non-​fiction, lifestyle books (cook books), music/​dvd, and a random cards/​knicknacks section. If you’re looking for a non-​fiction book you might have to ask a staff member.
Seating: There is a lot of seating at this borders. The entire mezzanine is full of tables/​chairs. The first floor has rows of couches (near the fiction) and there are some chairs on the 2^nd floor as well. A lot of people use the mezzanine section to work, study, and hold meetings.
Staff: The staff here is great. They’re helpful, polite, and will take the time to show you where things are.
Bathrooms: The bathrooms here are horrible. They usually smell and aren’t always stocked.
People: There’s a wide mix of people who come to this borders. Students, professionals who are picking up gifts, tourists who need a break, the FUNemployed, and yes some homeless people. People mostly stick to themselves.
Location: Downtown Crossing (green/​red/​orange T stops) is a convenient location. I come here because I live near by, but a lot of people come by because they’re shopping.
WiFi: It’s free! Although it can be slow sometimes :(
Pride: Yes Borders is more expensive than other stores. But you can save if you’re a part of their rewards programs or partake in one of their BOGO sales. Also no one checks to see if you bought anything (coffee, etc) if you’re working upstairs.

Borders is a decent bookstore. The line moves fast at lunch time. They don’t have the best prices, but the rewards program is good. I just got $ 10. off my last purchase. The nice thing about their rewards program is that you don’t have to wait for them to mail you your rewards, they ask you if you want to apply your rewards to your current purchase. (Oh yes, please!) I bought three books, and one was almost free! Beyond that, I can’t say much, it’s a chain bookstore. Large!
The location on Washington Street is convenient to my work, so while I prefer to go book hunting at Costco or other places, I do end up going to Borders frequently as I am an avid reader. I tend to not be one of those people that asks for suggestions or requires much help. I just peruse the shelves for something that looks interesting. I am contemplating buying a Kindle, so I am not sure how much longer I will be purchasing books at Borders.

Not the best borders I’ve gone to, but it’s a super convenient location in Boston.
My last visit was so-​so, I didn’t find the book I was looking for. The clerk was somewhat helpful, he asked if I needed help, looked the title up in the computer, but when it seemed like it wasn’t in the store, he suggested I go downstairs and ask someone else if they were on the display tables. Huh? How about you suggest ordering the book for me?
Beyond that, the book selection is pretty good, especially if what you’re looking for is on the display tables (apparently!), but if you’re looking for something specific, you might be out of luck. The setup of the store is inconvenient. Just about every time I go to the store the escalator going down is broken. I don’t even know why the bother «fixing it», worse case scenario, they turn into stairs. There is nothing worse than having to wait in line to take the elevator back down with eleven other people

Let us talk of the men’s restroom at this Borders location. If I could describe it in one word, it would be: urine. The scent of urine in the men’s bathroom is so concentrated it makes me wonder whether it is from man or beast.
On the other hand the staff here is friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Selection is pretty good, but it doesn’t feel like a bookstore. It’s just missing something. Even the Borders at the Cambridgeside Galleria has a better atmosphere.

There aren’t enough seats considering the volume of people that come in here. It’s a little weird that the café seating area is separated from the rest of the store, but it’s large and hosts a nice crowd of business people & young adults. A couple men were even playing chess when I went. Great location.

I’ll give them four stars, because they have done me well over the years. This location is tucked away in the corner of Downtown, so you don’t have the gangs of teenagers harassing the aisles. I know a lot of people use Borders for the public restrooms, and this one isn’t as poorly maintained as its nearby counterpart. I always felt the card section was too small, but I’ve found everything else I needed, including a few obscure books I did not expect.
Free WiFi, though my iTouch needs to be at least in the front entrance area to get a bar of reception. The lines get massive during rush hours, but move fast enough.

This location is smack in the middle of downtown crossing and with that area failing miserably, it is not helping this store.
The set up of this Borders is such a mess and so large and disorganized that you almost get lost trying to figure out the sections. The stacks are very high and it is hard to see anything on the upper shelves. Add in that there is hardly any staff to assist you on the floor and the existing staff behind the counter is in la la land and you have a place that you want to avoid. They have an upstairs with DVDs and other random items plus the Seattle’s Best Coffee where you will find most of the time, people just hanging around for hours. Skip this spot and head over to Boylston or one of the many other locations in downtown.

I have been here dozens of times, and always walk away mildly frustrated.
The location of this store is great, their displays are perfect for finding new books to read, and they usually have above-​average deals and clearance items. For convenience and quick browsing, they get a few stars.
Their selection, however, is limited and their floor service is basically nonexistent. If you can spot an employee and get them to notice you, they’re great, but I’ve had a few times where I wandered around for 15 minutes looking for ANYONE who can help me and eventually just gave up and left. In all the times I’ve been here, I have never found an open seat in the store area, and have only found one in the café twice.
It’s a nice idea and a good staple of Downtown Crossing, but fails to be a good destination for chilling or getting help.

I’ve been here a million times over the years. Great place to browse.
Usually pretty crowded — especially now around christmas time.
First floor has all the books, magazines, and their little coffee shop. The food isn’t too bad — I’ve had their pastries and quiches and they’re all nice. Service there is pretty… spotty. But — the rest of the place is great.
Upstairs is seating for the coffee shop, DVD and music section, greeting cards and little gifts, and an awesome area for kids. DEFINITELY check out the kids area — they have a GREAT selection of kids activity gifts this year. And there’s a sale going on now — buy 2 get 1 free on kids games and gifts. Wicked cool.

Hell no. Sucky staff: rude, bothered when I ordered a coffee, dirty… No.

This may literally be the worst Borders I’ve ever been to — and I’ve been to the Borders on Michigan Ave. in Chicago.
We only stopped in to use the bathroom and then I remembered I wanted to buy my dad a father’s day card — great, they have a stationary section. This Borders literally had the worst bathroom I’ve ever been in. The bathroom was unmarked (how are you supposed to know it’s upstairs — there’s no signs!), tiny and dirty. Ewwww. The bathroom just had a weird funky smell to it that obviously never went away. One of the stalls just didn’t lock (which always leads to awkward walk-​ins) and one of the sinks was backed up and not draining. Gross. The best part of the bathrooms: the «Bathroom Inspection» paper on the back of the door is marked every hour of every day — including the day we were there! Who inspected this place? A gross person?
The rest of this place is just typical — books, stationary, DVDs, etc. It kind of had the feel of a weird 80s-​looking Borders that was seriously in need of a renovation. Stationary section was small compared to others I’ve been to. There’s no employees wandering around anywhere so don’t think about asking for help.
The last straw: the check-​out line was insanely slow moving and the employees obviously looked like they hated themselves. At least the woman who checked me out was polite but that was about it. I love Borders — it’s my favorite chain bookstore — but this one needs a lot of serious help.

Oy.
Over all I much prefer B&N but since there’s not one near work this is where I come to kill time. the store itself is laid out strangely and I’ve never quite figured out the layout. Mind you I have no real intention of learning their layout so there’s that.
What gets me most about this place is the near constant lines coupled with the hideous prices and the fact that it smells like urine in the elevator and on the second floor. Since their escalators are often on the fritz you’re forced to take to the elevator and hold your breath for a while. Fun times.
They often have «big» 30% off sales on their DVDs but even at 30% off their prices are too high. Really, $ 65 for one season of a TV show?!? I guess when compared to FYE’s bend over and take it pricing structure it’s not as bad but still, wow.
Oddly their bargain books are always outside. The section for them inside is eensy and contains more kid’s books than anything. I would like this section to be bigger and easier to navigate since it’s nice to find a new author you may never have heard of if their book wasn’t $ 3 but alas…
Since there’s nothing better in the immediate area this store will suffice but if you can make it down to Copley go to that Borders or better yet to the B&N at the Pru.
OH! And as a side note for those thinking they’re getting away from Starbucks by getting coffee here you should know Seattle’s Best is a Starbucks brand. :-/

Like a shining behemoth, you tower over an end of the Downtown area, showing us your large collection of books and former bank exterior/​interior. And yet, you can only whelm us with your large magazine collection and built-​in caffeine station.
OK, terrible prose aside, I’m kind of ambivalent about this place. The book prices are standard for a chain (basically, unless you really need to get something ASAP, you are much better off scouring an independent bookstore or ordering from Amazon). The DVD collection upstairs seems to be okay, but the CD selection leaves much to be desired in terms of both price and available options (I understand that a bookstore can’t sell everything that a record store could, but the selection wasn’t that good by any standards).
The real draw here is the magazine racks, which do have a decent, extended collection of magazines of all genres. Whether you are just looking for Sports Illustrated, or something more unique, you might find it in their rows of magazines.
The other interesting side of this Borders, which one won’t find at the Boylston one, is the outside. It seems to be a favorite place for your petitioning types, looking to get book buyers to sign on to save the environment (but by signing that paper, I’m drawing on a tree!!!). Or sometimes, there are booth/​tables, such as the time some Lyndon LaRouche acolytes put up a table to tell people how Mike Bloomberg is evil.
If you really need a book, you can possibly find it here. But it’s probably not the best bet in the world.

I hate the lighting. With so many books and so many people sitting on the floors reading, there should be enough light for me to look where I’m going.
They usually don’t have what I’m looking for and I have to order or reserve a copy online. Which isn’t so bad, except for one time when they ordered two copies of everything. Luckily the staff member said I won’t be charged for the extra copies. That would have been about $ 50 – 75 extra.
I love the gift section on the second level. The cards are beautiful but pricey. I usually look at them and convince myself a Hallmark card is more meaningful and less expensive. But it’s nice just looking at them.
I like the magazine selection, especially since they have a section for foreign magazines.
I probably spend about a couple hundred bucks at this place every year. It’s a good thing I have a rewards card. Except I have to print out my coupons and I keep forgetting to do that.
What’s up with the bargain books being displayed outside?

Yes, this is a review of a chain. But it is a review of this specific location.
I overheard someone say they were renovating this location. I hope that’s the excuse for not having much selection, being messy, and for not making it easy to find things. Looks like they either cut hours drastically, or the employees were hiding. I couldn’t find anyone to help me except at the register. The children’s department isn’t as good as those at other bookstore chain locations.
And for a downtown bookstore location, why don’t they have more (and more interesting) author events? This is a town with more universities than I ever imagined; surely there is a literary crowd who will turn out for those things.