Borders Books & Music
It used to be that people mourned the loss of small neighborhood bookstores at the hands of big chains like Borders. Now, all bookstores are in trouble, with online services and new technologies making buying and downloading books easier than ever. And yet some bookstores—big and small—survive, because they provide a service that a community wants. Clearly Borders—a perennial winner in this category—is one such store (or, more precisely, three stores). There’s just something about being able to run your hands over a book—taking in the subtle textures of its cover, the quality of its paper, the smell of its spine—that can’t be replicated. Meanwhile, Borders’ shelves are well-stocked with titles both new and old; I’ve frequently gone in to look for something specific and come out hours later having flipped through everything from children’s books to cook books to mystery novels, and possibly having purchased one of each. Whatever the next chapter may be for the book industry, for Maui, Borders is undeniably an important part of the story. 275 Kaahumanu Ave., Space 101, Kahului, 871-6112; 270 Dairy Rd., Suite 190, Kahului, 877-6160; 291 Piikea Ave., Kihei, 875-6607, borders.com @jacobshafer
Runner-Up: Barnes & Noble, Lahaina
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