The campus bookstore, a familiar face to all who venture through the KC, will have a new look beginning Oct. 13 as well as a fresh name: The Brit Shop.
These changes come with a change of the shop’s management; it will now be operated by Metz Dining. According to General Manager of Metz Culinary Management Jeff Davis, changes to the campus bookstore will include additional merchandise, expanding the hours, moving the grab and go food options from Qdoba downstairs and making said merchandise “more affordable,” Davis said.
Currently, the bookstore’s hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beginning on Oct. 13, Davis said the store “will open at 10 a.m. and they’ll be open until 9 p.m., five days a week.” Davis also said that the Brit Shop will “be open for events and games on Saturdays” including an “event-based” portable shop for merchandise at games, and will be closed on Sundays.
“I think the college saw an opportunity based on hours of operation with the bookstore and the availability of product,” Davis said. “It’s all about impact and accessibility.”
The Brit Shop will also provide an additional student employment opportunity so that students can work in retail, Davis said.
The project has involved “across-campus participation” including contributions from admissions, athletics, facilities and the president’s office, though Metz was brought in initially because they’re “going to tie dining into it,” Davis said.
Kalamazoo junior Emma Schramm said she definitely wants to check out the Brit Shop and is “very excited” about the changes.
Dining Addition to the Brit Shop
Regarding the grab and go foods currently located next to Qdoba, Davis said they’re “going to shift that down so it’ll clear out that space.” He added that if students “don’t feel like going to Qdoba, or they want to grab a sandwich because they’ve gotta take it to class, they can just do it right in that space as opposed to going up the stairs and waiting in line.”
Davis said that there will be a frozen section for microwavable meals, and grab and go foods will still be available upstairs at Qdoba. He added that upstairs, these grab and go foods will be “the same variety, just not the same volume.”
Merchandise Available
Davis said the Brit Shop’s new merchandise will include winter hats, beanies, sweatpants, sweatshirts, crewnecks, long and short sleeve T-shirts, leggings and “Nike products,” all of which will come in “a variety of colors, and different logos.”
The clothing will also come in a variety of sizes so everyone has a chance to choose something, Davis said. He added that the “average sweatshirt price will be between $30-$35,” T-shirts will be $15, long sleeve T-shirts will be $18 and crewnecks will be $25.
Tour Guides, Faculty React to Changes
Schramm is a tour guide, and said tour guides typically walk prospective students past the bookstore, explaining how the bookstore functions once they are in the elevator to the fourth floor of the KC.
Associate Director of Campus Experiences Daria Bloomfield Eble, alumna ‘20, is the supervisor for the tour guide program. She said that although entering the bookstore isn’t “something that we had on the route” of tours due to time constraints, the weekend visitors “will definitely benefit from the new hours.”
“I think that when you go to any college on a campus tour, a big part of prospective students’ experiences, especially if they like the experience, is getting a sweatshirt from the school, or a T-shirt,” Bloomfield Eble said.
Tour guide team coach and Houghton senior Autumn Eles said the store’s longer hours will be “good” for prospective students and families.
“I think in general if a family is wanting to go to the bookstore, then if it’s closed, that’s not a good thing,” Eles said. “So if it is open more hours, then for those families that do want to go, that’ll be a good experience for them.”
Bloomfield Eble said she thinks “wearing gear is marketing for the college, so it’s going to be a positive change for all.”
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