Cary's paddling, cycling and running enthusiasts can revel in increased REI gear selection when the outdoor equipment retailer relocates to Devonshire Place shopping center from Crossroads Plaza in the spring.

REI will move into a 27,000 square foot space left vacant by Borders after the bookseller filed for bankruptcy in February. 

With about 6,000 square feet in additional space at its new location, REI plans to add a new community space for more classes and presentations as well as expand product assortment in paddling, cycling and footwear, said REI spokeswoman Bethany Hawley.

Hawley said REI leadership had been looking to expand the Cary presence for some time. She could not comment on terms of the lease, which was announced on Nov .4.

The Walnut Street shopping center is operated by Brixmor Property Group. Other tenants include Dollar Tree, Golf Galaxy, Lifestyle Family Fitness and Monkey Joe's.

The Triangle's last Borders bookstore is finishing its liquidation sale and is scheduled to close for good on Monday.

The final days at the store on Six Forks Road in North Raleigh will feature discounts of up to 90 percent on all remaining merchandise and store fixtures. All sales are final.

All 359 Borders remaining nationwide are scheduled to close by mid-September. The chain fell victim to weaker consumer spending, and increasing competition from Amazon, Walmart and other powerful rivals.

Borders closed its five other Triangle stores earlier this year after filing for bankruptcy. Another store at Raleigh-Durham International Airport closed recently after its liquidation sale.

RDU officials are still working to find a new tenant for that spot in Terminal 2.

The closures leave large empty spaces across the Triangle for retail landlords to refill during an economic slump.

The last Borders in this region, in the Six Forks Station Shopping Center, is 27,000 square feet. The shopping center's property manager didn't return calls seeking comment.

The Borders bookstore at Raleigh-Durham International Airport will begin a liquidation sale in the next few days and airport officials are beginning the search for a replacement tenant.

The bankrupt book seller announced Monday that it will ask a judge to approve liquidation sales at its 399 remaining stores on Thursday, after failing to find a buyer.

"This has happened very quickly, so we have not had an opportunity to speak to interested tenants," said RDU spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin. "However, we anticipate that there will be other concepts that will be interested in leasing that space very quickly. It is located in a prime location and RDU’s concession program is very popular with tenants and customers."

The preference will be to find another bookstore to fill the spot, she added.

It appears that the Borders store in North Raleigh's Six Forks Station will be the one stand-alone Borders store to survive the retailer's bankruptcy filing.

The company announced thsi morning that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and would be closing about 30 percent of its stores "in the next several weeks." A list posted on the Borders website dedicated to the closure includes four Triangle locations as being among the affected stores.

The stores in Cary, Apex, Chapel Hill and the store at 404 E. Six Forks Road in Raleigh will all close. The only other North Carolina store on the list is located in Greensboro.

Locally, that will leave just the North Raleigh store at 8825 N. Six Forks Road in Six Forks Station and the Borders store at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

According to the Borders press release this morning, "The company emphasized that the closings were a reflection of economic conditions, cost structures and viability of locations, among other factors, and not on the dedication and productivity of the workforce in these stores."