Good Bye Borders - Perhaps time to Stock Up on Sketchbooks and Paperchase Stationery

I knew from an e-mail that the Borders store in Naples was closing shortly after the company announced they were filing for bankruptcy last month, but I was a bit surprised to discover that their store in Ft. Myers was also closing. So much for hoping that they would be able to reorganize and keep at least one store open in the area. Thus I got the loot above in a bit of an impulse considering that this source of sketchbooks and pencils will probably not be around much longer.
Ok so maybe I didn't need that many new sketchbooks, but with the passing of this chain there are now fewer sources of value priced sketchbooks available locally. Whatever stock I don't get around to using personally will make fine presents for relatives or prizes on any of my drawing classes.
Got a few 8.5" X 5" Pentalic Classic hardbound sketchbooks from the bargain section that were further discounted with an extra 20% off. They feature 220 pages of 70 lb (114 gsm) paper in a pretty sturdy and portable format.
Embossed brand on the back.
Open flat.Mechanical pencils test page.Test page with sketching fountain pens and Kuretake No. 13 brush fountain pen.
If you enjoy using Paperchase pencils, you might want to get a few sets to save for later use. I don't know of any other outlet for them in the USA other than Borders.
Eraser toppers pyramid. When they look this adorable, I supposed their erasing performance is unimportant.
these festive pencils will become prizes for some students in my cartooning classes.
The black and natural finish pencil sets were manufactured in Korea.
Freshly sharpened and ready for some doodling.
I suspect that most remaining sketchbooks and stationery items should prove quite sufficient for sketching and keeping visual journals. I asked the clerk, and they do not have a set date for the complete closing of the stores. Guess it will depend on how long it takes them to sell off all their discounted merchandise (currently between 20-40% off throughout the stores in Naples and Ft. Myers). Yet ultimately there will not be a single Borders store left in SW Florida, so you might want to stock up on some sketching supplies while they are still around.

Found a Book stand to hold Reference books while drawing

Found this acrylic Paperchase Cook Book Stand on clearance at a Borders store, and it dawned on me that it could be quite useful when drawing from reference books.
This book stand can comfortably hold different book sizes like these recent additions to my personal library.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (The Art of the Animated Series):A very fine example of animation history and cartoon-style drawings that would make a great addition to any Avatar fan's collection and kid's visual reference library.
Really like this fold out sheet of concept art from The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Highly recommended for fans of this franchise.This book stand can securely hold reference magazines and how-to-draw books at a comfortable viewing angle while protecting them with its large front acrylic panel from any stray paint and splatter that could be created while working at a drawing table.
Perhaps its only downside is that being a rigid design, it does not fold down for storage and always takes up a good amount of space.

Holiday stocking stuffer suggestion: mini colored pencils CD set

Found this neat Paperchase 36 colour pencils CD case set at Borders, and thought that it might make a pretty nice stocking stuffer for the upcoming holiday season. The main drawback is that the set does not include a sharpener for the tiny pencils, and sharpening them with a pocket knife could prove tedious and even dangerous given their short length. Thus they really would not be suitable for very young children.
Without a couple of accessories already in my tool kit, this CD coloring kit could have proven to be just a novelty to add to my art supplies collection that would have seen little use. Yet with a Caran D'Ache Fixpencil 44 leadholder and a 3.8 mm sharpener from another mini pencils set, it turns out to be a pretty efficient and compact coloring kit for small sketches and ATCs (2.5" X 3.5" artist trading cards). It sure takes a lot less space than my canvas wrap loaded with a set of 36 regular-sized colored pencils. Recommended gift for older kids and grown-ups that still enjoy coloring.