New To Roseville in 2011: Becker Furniture World

The exit of Borders bookstore early this fall at  Rosedale Center paved the way for the arrival of Becker Furniture World.

Rosedale landed Becker Furniture to take the 30,000 square foot, two-story location held by Borders, which was one of three remaining stores in the Twin Cities and one of nearly 400 across the country to close because of the company going out of business.

Becker Furniture's arrival came in November.

Rollin Hunsicker, general manager of Rosedale, said recently his center began contingency plans for the Bordersk space when it learned the bookseller was in financial trouble.  Borders blamed its financial woes on the rapidly-changing book world that has gone from printed materials to e-readers and the rise of online sellers. Hunsicker manages Rosedale on behalf of Jones Lang LaSalle.

One Twin Cities’ retail observer wasn’t surprised at Borders’ Rosedale closing, even though that is a prime location. The bookseller had come under increasingly stiff competition from online retailers such as amazon.com, said Dave Brennan, co-director of the Institute for Retailing Excellence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.