So, You Bought a Building. Now What?

by Alan Beatts

You've probably heard the news already but, in case you missed the last couple of emails -- We managed to buy the building we were looking at on Haight Street!  This is a pretty huge accomplishment and I want to thank everyone who made it possible -- Borderlands' staff, our sponsors, all our customers who have supported us for 20 years, Dan Marshall and Lance Fulford (our realtors), and, most of all, the 49 people who lent the money that made it a reality. I'm more excited about where we're going to take Borderlands than I've been since I signed the lease for the cafe more than ten years ago.

The payment has been transferred already and escrow will close on the purchase on Tuesday, which will complete the transfer of ownership.  After that, the fun really starts.  But, it's going to be a slow start at first.  The previous owner of the building is also the owner of Recycled Records, the tenant in the retail space on the ground floor.  He's retiring, and is going to be packing up his inventory and shutting down his shop over the next couple of days.  Per the terms of the purchase contract, he has 15 days to leave the place "broom clean".  Until he's out, there isn't much work that can start (though, there are a few things I can get started on while he's still there -- basement and backyard clean up, specifically).

Once he's out, we'll be doing a bit of demolition.  The ceiling is on its last legs, and so we'll strip that down to the joists (those are the big pieces of framing that hold up the floors above).  We'll also pull up the old carpeting so that I can get a good look at the existing flooring.  Once that is done, we'll really be able to see what we've got to work with, as well as letting our structural engineer and architect take a look.  That part is very important since it will affect the next big job -- a soft-story retrofit.

Upcoming Events

Brandon Sanderson, OATHBRINGER (Tor, Hardcover, $34.99), Wednesday, November 15th at 6:00 pm

Meet Our New Building, Thursday, November 16th from 4:00 to 8:00 pm (at 1377 Haight Street at Masonic)

Borderlands 20th Anniversary Party, Saturday, November 18th, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

SF in SF with authors Annalee Newitz and Robin Sloan (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina Street, San Francisco), Sunday, November 19th at 6:30 pm

Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Northern California Holiday Party, Saturday, December 9th at 2:00 pm

October Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1) La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
2) Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
3) Mistress of All Evil by Serena Valentino
4) Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
5) 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die by Loren Rhoads
6) Machine Learning by Hugh Howey
7) Provenance by Ann Leckie
8) Vallista by Steven Brust
9) It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
10) Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Trade Paperbacks
1) Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2) All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
3) Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu edited by Ken Liu
4) Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig
5) Updraft by Fran Wilde
6) Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
7) Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
8) Machine Learning by Hugh Howey
9) Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
10) Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

Paperbacks
1) Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
2) Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3) Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
4) Excession by Iain M. Banks
5) Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn
6) Uploaded by Ferrett Steinmetz
7) Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) by Philip K. Dick
8) The Gunslinger by Stephen King
9) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
10) Old Man's War by John Scalzi

November News

* Overheard in the Store:

"You're kidding! I got all dressed up, and NO ONE'S going to notice, because there's a three-drink minimum!"

"After this, ice cream first? Or chai?" #ValenciaStreetProblems

* Someone has mapped the most read book in each of the fifty states, and some of these choices . . . .
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/11/1/16585432/most-popular-books-50-states-map

* Do you like San Francisco?  Do you like Jello?  Why not combine them! http://mymodernmet.com/stunning-models-of-san/

* Nick Mamatas' noted writing workshop, "Fabulist Fiction" begins November 4th, and they're accepting late signups.  From the organizers: "Exciting plots and larger-than-life characters are the cornerstones of popular fiction and the emphasis of this course.  In this course, we’ll workshop your short stories and novel chapters, explore the history of the genres, perform writing and idea-generating exercises, and discuss the magazines and publishers looking for your sort of fiction.  Classes will run on Saturdays from November 4th through December 16th from 2 - 5 PM at 25 Taylor Street in San Francisco." https://sfwriting.institute/fabulist-fiction-fall2017/

* Horror is bleeding into science fiction and fantasy, says PW.  Although some would argue there has always been a very close relationship between the two. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/75016-horror-bleeds-into-speculative-fiction-science-fiction-and-fantasy-2017-2018.html