IMHO someone with deep enough pockets could buy and turn Borders around immediately, simply by putting a cash register between the books, and the reading chairs / coffee shop counters.
They made the fatal design flaw of making themselves a library, rather than a book store.
Keep the reading chairs. Keep all the current features and offerings. The same everything. But put a cash register BETWEEN the books and the reading chairs.
Couldn’t be simpler.
Or better yet:
Since it has always seemed to this poster, Borders’ intent was to recreate the “old dusty eclectic liberal bookstore” atmosphere — just with less dust and new books — perhaps a re-launch by some enterprising takeover artist could create a central new book vault - maybe 75% of the store area, around which is built a used book store with the coffee counters, reading chairs and music.
Keep the new books new, inside a central inventory, which has a dedicated cash register counter. Want a book? Buy it.
Want to read it? Then after it’s paid for, go on to the leisurely old bookstore area and have a seat, surrounded by an old dusty liberal bookstore.
Heck, maybe even browse some old used books while you’re there.
This way at least, when you go to buy a new book - it’s new.
Not all dog eared from people having read it before you buy it as “new”.
So many possibilities.
Maybe a conservative should buy it, just to show how it’s done. Wish I could afford to - I would in a minute.