Ever since Borders Group filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, Books-A-Million, which has about 200 stores, has wanted to take over some of Borders's stores, particularly ones outside of Books-A-Million's traditional Southern base. In recent months, BAM picked up a few Borders outlets that closed earlier this year, and yesterday it won court approval to assume the leases of 14 Borders stores that have been in the process of closing, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The 14 stores are in Bangor, Maine; Portland, Maine; Concord, N.H.; West Lebanon, N.H.; Waterford, Conn.; Mays Landing, N.J.; Columbia, Md.; Scranton, Pa.; Canton, Ohio; Edwardsville, Ill.; Traverse City, Mich.; Davenport, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wis.; and Rapid City, S.D.