Waterford - Books-A-Million, the store taking over the bankrupt Borders in Waterford Commons, sells everything from coffee, books and Bibles to Nooks, Skullcandy headsets, Blu-Rays and DVDS.

The new super store in the Route 85 shopping complex, the first BAM store in Connecticut, opened with little fanfare late Monday. It features a Kids-A-Million children's section and the retailer's Joe Muggs Café, as well as a technology section.

If that sounds like an eclectic mix, it's meant to be, representing an "expansive selection" that will "entice any type" of shopper, the company said.

General Manager Jessica Pennington said she saw many customers young and old on the first evening and full day that the store was open.

"It wasn't majorly busy, but we had a nice influx of customers coming through," said Pennington. "A lot of children came in, which was amazing."

Pennington, who was the sales manager at the Borders store until it closed, has hired about 35 part- and full-time employees.

"A third to half of my staff are former Borders (employees), whether it is from this location, the Crystal mall location or even the Willimantic location," she said.

When it was Borders, the store employed about 41 people.

Earlier this year, Borders closed its doors when its parent company, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., filed for Chapter 11. The Birmingham, Ala.-based Books-A-Million store in Waterford is one of 41 new stores the company has opened across the country. Other Northeast stores are located in Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.

While Pennington doesn't anticipate hiring additional holiday help, hiring in general could occur "depending on how the community takes to the store," she said.

"We all are just ecstatic to have a bookstore back in the community," Pennington said. "We cannot wait to service everybody in the community and hope to see everybody in the store soon."

The publicly traded company operates about 232 stores in 23 states as well as the District of Columbia. Its large superstores operate under the names Books-A-Million and Books & Co.

For more information, visit jobs.booksamillion.com.

p.daddona@theday.com