IT WAS the Noughties, and Glasgow was the sparkling centre of retail heaven.

Proud of its reputation as the busiest shopping destination outside of London, it was buzzing with big names, bold brands and bright lights, not to mention fancy restaurants and old favourites.

Some of these popular names have fallen by the wayside – but over the next few weeks, we will be reviving a few of them for Times Past.

After all, who doesn’t love a stroll down shopping’s memory lane?

Glasgow Times: Borders Books, much missed.

First up is the mighty, multi-storeyed book behemoth, Borders.

Here are nine things you didn’t know about the famous shop.

1 Borders on Buchanan Street was a treat of a place, packed to the gunnels with books, CDs, DVDs, games and more. It was a very sad day for Glaswegians when it closed its doors in 2009, after two decades of being the country’s biggest bookshop.

Glasgow Times: David Attenborough visiting Borders in Glasgow.

2 Naturalist, broadcaster and national treasure Sir David Attenborough who visited in November 2002. He turned up in a Jaguar, which he parked outside the store’s Buchanan Street entrance for three hours - without receiving a parking ticket...

Glasgow Times: Geri Halliwell

3 When Spice Girl Geri Halliwell unveiled her autobiography ‘If Only’ at Borders in October 1999, she announced all royalties from the sale of the hardback would go to Breast Cancer Care, a cause she supported since her own brush with the disease. She also said if just five people enjoyed the book she would be happy…..

4 Security was tight when Monica Lewinsky, the former White House intern famous for having an affair with Bill Clinton while he was US President, turned up to sign copies of her book Monica’s Story in 1999. The queue had started to form outside the shop just before 7am, according to our sister newspaper The Herald, who reported: “Pride of place went to 14-year-old George Taylor from Partick, who said: ‘My mum let me have the day off school. She said it would be great to meet the most famous woman in the world. I want to meet her because she’s famous, not because of what she’s done. I’ve read the first three chapters of her book and it’s rubbish.’” She did not speak to any of the 60 waiting reporters and photographers.

5 The A-listed building (which is now home to clothing giant All Saints on the Buchanan Street side and Zizzi on the Royal Exchange Square side) was designed by Archibald Elliot and built in 1827, and has housed a bank and a gun-maker in previous lives.

Glasgow Times: Martin Clunes with Genghis Khan outside Borders.

6 When Borders moved in to the entire 40,000sq ft of the building, the city already had a 30,000sq ft Waterstone’s and a John Smith’s and a Dillons.

7 The company caused a stushie when it was revealed there were plans afoot for surveillance cameras which would use face recognition software to match customers with known criminals on police databases. Borders ditched the plans, dubbed ‘Big Brother’ at the time.

8 Adam Ant fan Lee Bowen surprised his girlfriend Lesley Scott when they went to the singer’s book signing at Borders. After asking a surprised Mr Ant for his blessing, Lee popped the question and the couple, from Airdrie, were officially engaged.

 

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9 Martin Clunes was delighted to meet two-year-old Tamaskan Genghis Khan when he visited Borders to sign copies of his novel A Dog’s Life. The actor was so taken by staff member Melanie Baxter’s pet he even agreed to have his picture taken with him outside on the store’s steps.