Books, books -- get all you can for 99 cents each. Borders Books on Pacific and Soquel avenues is nearing the end of its road, and they put the few remaining books on sale Wednesday for under a dollar.
So if you want Glenn Beck's "Broke," or the "O'Reilly Factor for Kids" or a travel guide to Dallas and Fort Worth, head down before they're gone.
Still, it's kind of sad to see any such venture go down. And it's particularly sad to see some dedicated folks lose their jobs. Several of the employees had been at Borders since it opened a decade ago -- and they were hard-working, polite and helpful guides to the many books and recordings available. I wasn't one of those who swore off chain bookstores -- even though I did give a preference to the locally owned shops like Capitola Book Cafe and Bookshop Santa Cruz.
And, whatever else your feelings about the presence of a Borders in Santa Cruz, it offered a destination-style downtown location -- without alcohol -- that gave people some time to while away the time.
Time will tell what, if anything, will replace it. Another empty store downtown isn't something Santa Cruz needs right now. But stay tuned -- my guess is that something will be coming to fill up the space. It's too good a location to just sit empty.