Nobody appears ready to take anything for granted in the Borders Inc. bankruptcy filing.

But among the endless strategic steps taken by the Ann Arbor-based bookseller as it tries to reorganize for its survival, comes one nugget of news about a local store: The Lohr Road location in Pittsfield Township has a pending deal in place to stay open.

"We've worked out arrangements to allow them to stay," said Tom Goldberg, an owner of Waters Place retail center on Lohr east of Ann Arbor-Saline Road.

While the details on the deal are confidential — and require court approval — the agreement means that the chain's plans to keep the store open amid shutdowns of 225 U.S. stores at least has the blessing of the landlord.

The chain, said spokesperson Mary Davis, was working with landlords of 140 stores.

"Favorable terms were reached on all but 25 stores," she said in an email. "Those 25 will close."

Renegotiating leases for remaining stores and existing leases of closing stores has been at the top of the company's goals with the bankruptcy filing. In early March, the New York-based judge ruling on the bankruptcy claim gave the chain until January 2012 to resolve real estate issues.

The Lohr Road store, launched in 2008 as a new prototype for the Borders superstore format, escaped the chain's store closing list when it was announced in mid-February. The store in downtown Ann Arbor also has not been targeted for closing, while the Arborland store — the only other outlet in Washtenaw County — is winding down its operation and will close in April.

Bankruptcy documents filed so far do not indicate any changes for the corporate headquarters at Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor — though executives who occupy it could receive $8.3 million in bonuses, based on a recent request.

As the process continues, Goldberg said he remains hopeful that the Chapter 11 process will work out.

"It's obviously a difficult situation, to say the least," he said. "... There's no guarantee on anything, but we're hopeful they'll be able to continue" in Waters Place.