Remember in the early 1990s, when independent bookstores were closing all over the country as Borders and Barnes & Nobles moved in? Because the chain bookstores had prices that the independent bookstores just couldn't match?

It's 1994 all over again:

Borders will close its San Francisco South Beach store on October 16th. The bookstore occupies the ground floor of a condominium complex, and a Borders spokesperson explained that the branch did not meet "financial objectives."

Barnes and Noble on Monday announced it would close its Lincoln Center store due to high rents. Company spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said sales were not a factor in the closing of the store, located in a busy and prosperous neighborhood. The chain has faced increasing competition in recent years from price clubs and Internet retailers.

I'm sure that there are a few bitter ex-booksellers who are giggling a little bit at this news.