On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the Auburn University Bookstore made its long-awaited return to its newly renovated home in the Haley Center after nearly six months of operating in the Beard-Eaves Coliseum. For the last week, the store has been buzzing with students, alumni and faculty – all excited to see its new look.
On Feb. 7 this past spring, the Auburn University Board of Trustees approved major renovations for the Auburn Bookstore and its Haley Center location. Only about a month later, the Bookstore temporarily relocated to Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, with the promise to return once renovations were complete. Now, about six months later, the Bookstore has returned to its new, improved and original location.
The remodel features new lighting, flooring and organizational style, but the preparation was much more complex, with staff trying to appeal to both the visual and operational aspects of the store. Director of the Bookstore Russell Weldon has been working with his team for months to ensure the remodel was as successful as possible.
"We are one of the smallest university bookstores in the country, so we've always had challenges in getting all the products out there," Weldon said. "The fixtures were a big part of that, but we also decided to try to take books off the floor."
To maximize space for its products, the Bookstore staff has started to take textbooks off the shelves after the first few weeks of class. However, students can still order their textbooks online and pick up in store through the Bookstore's mobile pickup service. Customers have taken well with the new structure and product distribution of the store.
"I was here before my tour, and I like the organization better now," Sophie Hauer, freshman majoring in pre-architecture, said.
The addition of the dedicated Lululemon space and the separate space for Nike products is another long-awaited aspect of the remodel. For a long time, the Auburn Bookstore team has tried to figure out a way to dedicate individual spaces in the store for their company partners. This remodel gave them the opportunity to do just that.
"We actually had Lululemon and Nike come in and help design their spaces, so it was a great collaborative opportunity for us," Weldon said. "They're both great partners, so it was awesome to have them come put their two cents in."
The Bookstore's new layout is also ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. Not only does this renovation serve the needs of the student body but it also provides Bookstore staff with improved checkout systems, which help ease floor traffic on the store's busiest days.
The Bookstore has dedicated staff members, with many working tirelessly over Labor Day weekend to move all of their merchandise back to the Haley Center. Weldon finally feels like the value of their team is truly represented in their store.
"We were trapped in an old space, and we're very good retailers," Weldon said. "I feel like, 'Finally, when you walk in there, you can see who we are as a team.'"
Moving forward, the Bookstore staff is working on settling into their updated space while continuing to look for ways to improve the customer experience, so they can most effectively serve the students at Auburn University.
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