Bookstore gets face-lift, new traits

By Laura Mortkowitz

Rider students will notice significant changes the next time they visit the University Bookstore, which has been rearranged and renovated.

New carpeting and new paint may not be the first things students spot, but the new checkout and new shelves will catch people’s eyes. Following a number of changes on campus, including Cranberry’s, the bookstore has been upgraded.

“It’s been about 10 years since our last remodeling,” said Joe Judge, store manager at both the Lawrenceville and Princeton campuses. “[The bookstore] needed a little freshening up. A new look.”

The new fixtures, like lights, have a more modern look and are “classier” than the previous ones, said Judge. Only the text book department does not have new fixtures. The rest of the store has new items of Rider paraphernalia — new styles of clothes, mugs, pens — even golf gear.

“The new arrangement makes more sense,” said Judge. “It opens the store up and makes the store more inviting.”

The checkout counters, walls, shelves and tables are all made of the same wood, giving the store a more sophisticated look. The book section is larger and more expansive with a selection ranging from Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey to The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman.

“I think the store looks great,” said Peggy Stevens, a sales associate. “There are a lot more areas to display the merchandise. And at a glance you can see we have a nice
assortment.”

Judge hopes the fixtures and the merchandise will be finished and set up by the end of this week, maybe the beginning of next week. The original goal was to be finished, for the most part, by Family Day on Nov. 4.

The only part that will still be unfinished is the floor at the entrance to the bookstore. He added that the floor should be finished by Thanksgiving.

“The marble tile is all going to be covered with wood with the school logo on it,” said Judge.
Students may not realize just how much work has been done on the bookstore at a first glance.

However, a number of people are working on the store: painters, electricians, a contractor and people to lay down the carpet.

“The store looks better than before,” said sophomore Hilary Bogart. “The new layout displays everything much nicer.”

Most of the companies working on the bookstore have worked on previous projects around Rider’s campus, including the new Student Recreation Center.

While the campus bookstore is run by Follett Higher Education Group, it was a joint decision to remodel the bookstore. The new design and layout was mostly from the home office at Follett, which is also paying for the renovations being done. Rider is completely overseeing the project.

Judge is hoping the new look of the bookstore will help bring more students around, and that the upgraded appearance will be more welcoming to students and visitors.
“We’ve gotten good compliments so far,” Judge said.