I am not sure what this says about my social life, but I have recently started spending Friday evenings with my family at Borders.  I can pop in for my favorite vanilla late while my...

I am not sure what this says about my social life, but I have recently started spending Friday evenings with my family at Borders.  I can pop in for my favorite vanilla late while my husband checks out the magazines.  My children love to go through all the books until they find just the right one (in my designated price range) and the youngest ones are thrilled to sit in on story time in the children's area. 

 Border's has a very nice staff member who reads to the kids and who I have found to be very helpful when I am looking for something particular or need a suggestion.  I think the store is easier to navigate than Barnes and Noble, and generally has a warmer, more inviting feeling.  They have a lot of large comfy chairs you can curl up in for a while.  At B&N I too often find myself sitting on the floor in an aisle.  While it's not a locallay owned book store, I can't help but love their large selection.

Even though I would rather patronize a locally owned bookstore like Russo's, I do find myself going to Border's when I'm needing a literary fix. There is just something about getting a...

Even though I would rather patronize a locally owned bookstore like Russo's, I do find myself going to Border's when I'm needing a literary fix. There is just something about getting a mocha  from the cafe and reading their wide assortment of niche magazines that I love. Their home improvement books have also probably gotten a little worn from me thumbing through them for inspiration and advice.

Our Bakersfield Borders is also my music store. I'm still not cool enough to own an ipod. I'm "old school" and still go buy a cd from time to time.

The Bakersfield Borders is just average to me. I do find it to be a quiet bookstore and relatively uncrowded. (I don't know what this means for their business.)

I have to give it 3 stars since I am a little spoiled and have a very high standard for bookstores. Before the big box bookstore phenomeon, one of my favorite hangouts was the Earthling bookstore on State Street in Santa Barbara. It was in an old Woolworths and right across the street from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Not only did it have a gourmet quality cafe, but out of this world atmosphere with beautiful murals by local artists, rich wood bookcases,and a huge fireplace with cozy leather chairs around it. That fireplace was heaven and even from time to time local classical musicians would have live performaces to have some wonderful, smoothing ambient music. It was just another one of those locally owned bookstores that folded when Borders & Barnes and Nobles came to town.