Borders was begun by two brothers who where University of Michigan students. Their concept was ahead of it’s time “mega” was not a buzz word when the original store opened in Ann Arbor. The brothers had a great idea for its customers to come to a different kind of bookstore that would offer any and every book imaginable.

Borders Books (aka Borders Group) was opened in 1971 by the Border brothers, Tom and Louis, two University of Michigan students. The first location was in Ann Arbor, a book store that would have the best selection of books around. That was a good start but they also came up with the masterful “BIS” (Book Inventory System), this was later sold to other vendors to help them with their inventory processes. Let’s not forget their “superstore”concept and their use of the “location, location, location” tactic as well. Amazon.com is the brainchild of Jeff Bezos and came to be more than a decade later in 1994. One sharp comparison, Amazon was never a brick and mortar location. It has always existed online exclusively. Borders had the cozy reading nooks, overstuffed chairs, coffee… all the things to make you want to stay and read awhile. Somewhere along the line the two took very different paths, one ending in demise and the other ending in megamillions in profits. Borders seems to have taken a change management approach instead of the change of leadership approach. Borders “fought to the end” but to no avail. (Edwards,