After providing nearly 80 years of service to the Auburn Family, the Auburn University Bookstore has continuously evolved, yet its mission remains dedicated to the student experience first by focusing on affordability and upholding traditions.
According to a July 1945 edition of The Auburn Plainsman, the AU Bookstore, originally known as “The College Supply Store,” first opened in the fall of 1945 following then Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s purchasing of the Future Farmers of America bookstore, which provided supplies to Alabama GI Bill and vocational rehab students.
Manager of Communications and Marketing for the Auburn University Bookstore Chris Green explained that since its inception, the shop has been located across various campus locations that no longer stand, such as the Student Union Building, which is where Foy Hall is located.
Following a move to the Haley Center in 1969 and a name change to “Auburn University Bookstore” in 1981, the bookstore began to resemble the store it is known as today.
Some of the store’s most notable additions in recent years include its 2024 launch of Auburn-branded Lululemon merchandise, becoming an Apple Authorized Service Provider, and the 2013 pilot of its digital textbook program All Access.
An Instagram reel posted by the Bookstore went viral garnering nearly 200,000 views because of the sweatshirt an employee wore in the reel, a simple oversized cut with applique letters spelling 'AUBURN'. Green recalled he had asked a student employee to wear the sweatshirt last minute and never would have predicted its high demand from the students, selling out each time the store puts it back on the floor.
Because of large apparel sales like the viral sweatshirt and high opt-in rates to the digital textbook program, Green said the bookstore can provide quality Auburn merchandise to fans while also keeping the costs of course materials low.
Green remembers during his time as an Auburn student the difficulty and stress he felt buying textbooks because of expensive prices and high demand coupled with low availability. Thanks to All Access, the majority of students are guaranteed access to textbooks at a much lower price than before.
“I'm pretty sure that this year we're going to cross the $20 million savings mark since the program [All Access] was introduced,” Director of the Bookstore Russell Weldon said. “So it is by far the greatest tool that we've ever used to reduce the stress of being an Auburn student and having what you need at the beginning of the semester.”
Over the next year, there will be more changes to come, like its Nike merchandise rollout with the university’s rebrand and plans for a student advisory board. For Weldon, student feedback is vital to ensure that the bookstore’s mission stays centered on boosting the student experience.
“I hope that that's what students feel is like they can tell somebody cares, and they can tell somebody is working for them - actively working for them - to make their life at Auburn here, not just easier, but more fun,” Weldon said. “Bottom line, end of the day, it's your store, and we want to make sure that all of you feel represented and welcome in that space.”
Weldon encouraged students to expect a refreshed space next semester and to keep an eye on the bookstore’s socials for more news about upcoming changes and its 80th anniversary. The remodel of the sales floor will be the first since a minor touch-up in 2013.
“While a lot of things have changed, a lot of things have stayed the same,” Green said about his seven years working for the Bookstore. “It's always been a great place to go and shop, and for me, it's a great place to work, because I'm surrounded by people who are supportive. I'm surrounded by people who are always looking to do the next best thing we can do for students.”
From greeting high school seniors after their first official tour to helping them buy their cap and gown for graduation four years later, Weldon noted that the employees witness a special part of a student’s growth by being their introduction and conclusion to Auburn as a student. When alumni return to Auburn University Bookstore, Weldon explained they also return for the family they have discovered on campus.
“Even though we're hitting the milestone and changing things up, we will always be that store that campus turns to, to celebrate tradition and we look forward to doing that for many, many more years to come,” Weldon said.
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Jennifer Santiago is a freshman in exploratory studies from Enterprise, AL. Santiago has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2024.
