On Friday, the University Store held a celebration to commemorate its renovations over the past spring.
The entire store was remodeled to accommodate the business and student shoppers, Misty Eaton, manager of the UW Store, said. Celebrations this past week included football ticket giveaways, a spotlight on the Apple department and a Business After Hours event.
“We wanted to involve students,” Eaton said. “We really wanted to get back into back to school and have our students and faculty involved this month.”
Last remodeled in 2002, the store was moved to a different location in the Union with two levels. Eaton said the store was taking a toll from everyday foot traffic and discussion for a second renovation began several years ago.
With three main goals in mind, Eaton said the bookstore focused its attention on general repairs, traffic efficiency and a change in product placement. Formally, checkout lines extended to the downstairs level; however, Eaton said with the new register location and line queue area, congestion has been limited.
Financing for the project was approximately $400,000, Eaton said. She noted the store is a self-supporting section two entity, which means all funds were paid for by the business itself.
“We do not get any outside funding, which means anything that we do is through store sales and revenue,” Eaton said. “All of the changes were done without effecting student fees or bookstore prices.”
Two of the enhancements used either local or eco-friendly materials, Eaton said. All of the light fixtures were changed over to the energy efficient LED lights, which were supported by the Union and Physical Plant. In addition, the rustic wood paneling that can be seen behind the register is all recycled snow fence from Wyoming, Eaton added.
“It’s a cool local feature, but with more of an updated look,” she said.
One month into the semester, Eaton said the remodeled store has been well received by the public; adding traffic flow has improved, with clearer walkways and a more efficient checkout system.
Jenny Beiermann, a senior majoring in Agriculture Business, said she supports the changes; especially because the funding did not come from student pockets.
“I think it looks really cool. The line is more efficient, and I like the organization of it better,” she said. “As long as I didn’t have to pay more money for it then I don’t really care [about the cost.]”
