Brentano's

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Brentano's
Industry Retail
Fate absorbed into Borders Group in the U.S.; liquidated in France
Successor(s) Borders Group
Founded 1853 (1853)
Founder(s) August Brentano
Defunct 2011 (2011)
Products Books, magazines, comic books, maps, calendars, gift cards
Owner(s) Borders Group
Parent Waldenbooks

Brentano's was an American bookstore. In addition to the numerous locations in the United States,[citation needed] there was a Brentano's on Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, at the same location for 114 years.[1]

Brentano's became a part of the Waldenbooks subsidiary of Borders Group, Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based book and music retailer.

Contents

[edit] History

Brentano's was founded as an independent bookstore in New York City in 1853 by August Brentano, who established a newsstand in front of the New York Hotel. From its headquarters at 586 Fifth Avenue, Brentano's became a publisher, with a specialization in French literature that led it to publish under the imprint "Éditions Brentano's" many titles by French writers in exile during the Vichy France period.

In 1985, Kmart's Waldenbooks subsidiary acquired Brentano's and nine years later, in 1994, Brentano's and its parent company Waldenbooks were merged into Kmart's other book subsidiary, Borders. Borders re-gained independence through a stock buyback in the mid 1990s to once again become an independent company known as Borders Group, Inc.; in 2011, Borders Group filed for bankruptcy and wound down operations, closing all remaining locations.

Brentano's was featured prominantly in a few episodes of Seinfeld.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Susan; Alain Queval (15 June 2009). "Brentano's Paris To Finally Close". book2book/booktrade.info (Harpenden, Hertfordshire). http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/21679. 

[edit] External links

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