Book Store renovated to add space for books

Customers can now walk into The Book Store and find books as soon as they enter. Book Store Director Michael Knezic said renovations, which are essentially complete, have moved the photoelectronics department from the front of the store to the back near the gifts and other non-book merchandise sections. Knezic said customers told him they did not like the fact that when they entered The Book Store the first things they saw were cameras and calculators and not books. "We needed to make it look more like a bookstore," Knezic said. Book Store Trade Manager Emma Castrege said the front of the store now features a wide variety of books. Some types of books that were previously not stocked in The Book Store can be found in the new display at the front of the store, she added. For example, Castrege said the store is now carrying overstock hardcover books, books that are published in paperback but still available in hardcover editions. Some books that have minor damage are also being sold at a marked- down price, Castrege said. With the photoelectronics department relocated to the back of the store, Knezic said it is easier for Book Store employees working in the front to serve customers. "We don't have to have the book people spend time with [non-book related] merchandise," he said. "They can respond better to customer requests." Merchandise Manager Marilynn Lewis said as a result of the move, the photoelectronics department has less square footage, but the same amount of products. "Basically the products are out there," she said. "The department is open and ready to serve customers." Customers have had very positive reactions to the changes, Lewis said. The photoelectronics department is now closer to the gifts department and other non-book related merchandise, and Lewis said she thinks customers prefer this. "Customers want to have things in one nice area and salespeople around to help them out," she said. Knezic said the renovations began in mid-February and will be completed this week.