Borders

My wife loves their chips & salsa. I love??? hmmm nothing really. The food is somewhat bland. We’ve had just about everything on the menu and nothing really stands out.
The best part of this place is the ambiance with a a group of friends or watch a game at the bar. This is not a place to take a date to.
Why go? Not much else when you want some good quality tex-​mex in the Portland Metro area.

Vancouver is lacking so to have a Borders with a Whole Foods store hooked on is unbelievable and rare!
Coffee Café too… sweet.
Andrew Ford, aka Coast2CoastAM Master.

Although Powells is my favorite bookstore for various reasons, I have to give it up to this Borders location. Every single time I have been here I have had a great experience. Whether I’ve been browsing on a leisurly afternoon or on a quest for a specific item, I’ve been very happy with not only the customer service but the space as well.
There’s been several times I’ve come in here to fill that last half hour before a movie starts with friends. We’ll grab books from whatever section delights our fancy and then sit in the cushy black chairs in the biography section and read for a while. Usually its a book from the comedy/​entertainment section so we are trying to stiffle our laughter when we’re reading Chelsea Handler books or somesuch.
I’ve also been here on a mission several times, once being the ever stressful Christmas Eve. The staff has been extremely polite and helpful every time, never once acting like they didn’t have time for me or that helping me find my book was a burden in any way. Even the cashiers are chatty and nice. They all seem to project that they really enjoy their jobs and that is the key to great service for me.
Anytime I need a bookstore in the Vancouver area, I head to Borders. I go in, I browse, I almost always leave with a new treasure, and I’m a happy girl.

this borders is very friendly. i always love coming in here to look at books, whether i buy them or not. i came in here looking for a very particular version of this side of paradise by f. scott fitzgerald. they didn’t have it in stock, but when i asked one of the helper peoples, they quickly got all the information i needed and found the book for me. asked if i wanted it shipped home, shipped to the store or if i wanted to go to a different borders. so nice of them. the check out people were nice too. and i love that they are always having a 20, 30 or 40% off coupon if you sign up for their emails. who doesn’t want to save moneys? yay!

For some odd reason when I come to this particular Borders, strangers like to walk up to me and freely share whatever is on their mind. I keep waiting to hear an epic story, but I seem to be condemned to gloomy stories spanning from deceased animals to business complications. Exciting, huh? Without fail, after listening to these stories I can’t help but feel like my life is boring in comparison; so to spice things up, I rely on finding an additional book, movie, or CD to help fill my drama void.
Once I have escaped the woes of Vancouver’s finest, you can count on me being in my own little element aimlessly wandering around the neat and tidy store. With new releases greeting you upon entering, classics tucked around the corner, and the in between assortment scattered throughout the store, it is difficult not to find something interesting. There is no doubt that I am a sucker for books but, I have yet to find anything extraordinary about the book selection (not that this stops me from putting a dent on my debit card).
In all honestly, I tend to favor and spend most of my time in the media section upon my visits. I have had wonderful luck finding the most random things like: nostalgic movies, whacky British comedies, and obscure comedians that my parents talk about from their youth. It’s hard for me to walk away empty handed. I appreciate having a store near by that has a wide variety of DVDs and CDs to fit my eclectic nature. When it comes down to it, nothing can truly beat a good visit to Powells or Music Millennium, but when you are to darn lazy to drive to Portland, its good enough substitute (even if it means being approached by crazies)!

Call if blasphemy if you like, but I actually prefer this place over the sacred Powells on many levels:
–When I don’t feel like making the drive across the river
–When I’m in the «new release» and quick browsing mood
–When I want a place to just sit and relax for a couple of hours w/​o distractions of noisy tourists
However, at times it can be a little crowded, the café is its only significant siting area (which means a couple of loud people can ruin it for everyone) and the selection is of course not as extensive as the iconic Powells.