Type Private Headquarters San Francisco Website borderlands-books.com | Founded 1997 Owner Alan Beatts | |
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Borderlands Books is a San Francisco independent bookstore specializing exclusively in science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Contents
History
In 1997 Alan Beatts opened Borderlands in Hayes Valley as a used-only bookstore consisting of his personal collection and a selection of books from Know Knew Books in Palo Alto. In 2001 the store moved to 866 Valencia in the heart of the Mission District where it is currently located. Shortly after opening in the new location, Borderlands Books was awarded the "Best Sign Of De-Gentrification in the Mission" from the SF Bay Guardian.
On February 2, 2015, in an open letter posted on the store's website, the owners Alan Beatts and Jude Feldman, announced they would close the store on March 31, 2015, explaining they could not afford to pay San Francisco's recently enacted $15 minimum wage (a minimum wage that they support). The store later announced a plan to remain open by relying on 300 private sponsors at $100 apiece, and this goal was soon surpassed.
Events
The store makes appearances at horror and science-fiction conventions, and has hosted numerous events with authors and other genre visitors including Lou Anders, Chris Roberson, John Varley, Jacqueline Carey, John Picacio, Graham Joyce, Patricia McKillip, Paolo Bacigalupi David Drake, Randall Munroe, Steven Erikson, and Cory Doctorow.
Borderlands also hosts the Tachyon Publications anniversary party with the associated Emperor Norton Awards, given for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason”. The first award is given to a single work of science fiction, fantasy, or horror, or to an author in these genres, and the second to any creation, creator, or service relating to those genres.
Other Information
In 2008, Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts and general manager Jude Feldman were jointly nominated for a World Fantasy Award under the World Fantasy Special Award: Professional category. In late 2009, Beatts opened Borderlands Cafe adjacent to the bookstore.
Borderlands currently has two Sphynx cat mascots named Ash and Frost. The original Sphynx mascot, named Ripley, died in May 2010.