Digital destination: new concept store from Borders pairs photo printing, and digital services with books.(Trends & Technology)(Company overview)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Customers walking into the Borders Group Inc. store on Lohr Road in Ann Arbor, Mich., immediately see this is not simply another bookstore.

A highlight of the concept store--which opened Feb. 22, after more than 18 months of development--is the Digital Center. Marked by a 3-D, 15-foot, illuminated fixture and sign package, the Center enables customers to print pictures, to create photo books, to download music (millions of tracks are available), to make custom CDs, and much more.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"From what we understand, customers love the store. We're very pleased," says Mary Davis, corporate affairs manager for Borders, after the store was open for about a month. Although located in the town of the University of Michigan, the store draws more than tech-savvy college students. "The typical Borders customer is an older woman, between the ages of 35 and 55, well-educated, and affluent," says Davis. "We're finding customers from all walks of life are using the features of the Digital Center. It's not just young kids."

Differentiation through digital

The 28,900-square-foot concept store is the first of 14 the company expects to open nationwide this year, many of which should be open by the time this article goes to press. In addition to the Digital Center, the concept store provides a new shopping …