BY LISA BIANK FASIG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Borders Group Inc., the Michigan-based book superstore that helped define the retail term "category killer," is opening its second Cincinnati-area store, in Eastgate.
Spokeswoman Imsre Sabaliunas said the Borders Books & Music will open Aug. 29 at 4530 Eastgate Blvd. in Eastgate Crossings. It is expected to employ 30 to 40 people.
Though it is only the second area Borders -- the first opened in Springdale in 1993 -- it joins dozens of other bookstores in the Cincinnati market. Among them: Barnes & Noble, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Media Play, Walden Books -- also owned by Borders' parent -- and many small neighborhood shops.
Ms. Sabaliunas declined to discuss whether Borders planned to open more Cincinnati stores.
"It really depends on the market," she said. "I wouldn't be able to comment on the plans of the development department. But I know they are quite active."
Borders itself evolved from a small used-book store founded in 1971 by two brothers at the University of Michigan. In time, it expanded to include more than 200 large-scale stores, incorporating coffee breaks and musical concerts.
It is a format adopted by many independents and other chains, such as Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
The market will decide if one more bookstore is one too many. Joseph-Beth in March 1997 closed its Harper's Station store, leaving just one Joseph-Beth Cincinnati store, in Rookwood Pavilion. Scott Ruble, general manager of that store, said penetration by competitors contributed to the decision to close. "We tried that and realized that that's not the best way for us to market," he said.
Analyst Donald Trott, who covers Borders for Brown Brothers Harriman, said that often, the action of one company influences the behavior of others. He said Borders balances the cost-saving method of clustering stores against the penetration of its main competitor: Barnes & Noble.
"I suspect that within Cincinnati, you'll ultimately get further penetration of Borders, but it's a matter of the balancing act," he said.
The store to open in Eastgate will be 24,000 square feet -- a "good, average-sized store," Ms. Sabaliunas said. It will include a coffee shop, children's section, music and periodicals.
