Borders will close forever on Sunday, leaving tens of thousands of booksellers out of work..
In an exit interview with the Detroit News, CEO Mike Edwards confessed that the company had been “in perpetual crisis” during his tenure.
Here’s an excerpt from the article: “Edwards tried to keep the final week at the headquarters festive, with job fairs, resume writing workshops and champagne parties … He is an unemployed chief executive without a grudge and with a $125,000 severance check. He doesn’t know where he’s headed — perhaps Southern California or Oregon, where he led Lucy Activewear and Ellington Leather — but he said he has received job offers from companies impressed with his handling of Borders’ bankruptcy.”
No matter what you think about mega-bookstores or Borders management, this is a sad year for everyone who loves books. If you want to help, the Help Ex-Borders Employees page is collecting resources for these booksellers. (Via Julie Bosman)