What prompted Borders to locate at South Wharf, what appealed most about this area?

The fact that South Wharf is a brand new suburb provided a great opportunity for us to open a brand new type of Borders concept store. It’s an area with such potential for growth and I think Borders’ arrival is something to celebrate for residents and visitors alike.

What are some of the special features of the Borders South Wharf Store?
We have plenty of couches and open spaces, a community noticeboard and dedicated events area. We’re already beginning to see Borders serve as a community gathering place for residents from surrounding areas.

The store is also divided into genre hubs, for example cooking, travel and lifestyle, which are dedicated to the latest and greatest in their section as well as good old fashioned favourites. My favourite new features are found in the travel section with our giant sized compass on the ceiling and the world map on the table top, always great for dreaming about your next trip! However, my favourite section will always be the kids department, with a great range across both modern series and the classics, as well as flat screen televisions to watch the latest kids movie release or television series.

Can you tell us more about the “Artist’s Incubator Area”?
The Artist’s Incubator at Borders South Wharf is a section that cannot be found in any other Borders store. Located in the middle of the store, we use the slat wall display area to showcase works by local Melbourne artists and photographers whose work is specific to the Melbourne area. Our aim is to get Melbournians in touch with local art, and local artists in touch with the Melbournians their art may not normally reach.

I believe you have a large staff base at the store, what are their areas
of expertise among the staff?
We have been very fortunate to find a great team of service-focussed, book and media lovers, with two of our team members in the process of publishing their own work. Our management team has over 10 years experience within Borders with extensive knowledge across many areas, including particular interests in the kids, graphic novels and science fiction, crime, media
and travel sections.