By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau
The bookstore at Grand Canyon University soon will transition to a new location, a new name and whole new feel.
In early May, the store will be closed in its current location — Building 26, west of Classroom Building 16. It is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Aug. 10, on the first floor of Prescott Hall with a new name, the "Lope Shop." (Scroll to the bottom of this story for a list of things to know about the new location.)
The new look will include GCU insignia apparel and souvenirs, supplies (art, computer, technical and general), a faculty author section, reference and study aids, and non-insignia gifts and cards.
In a sign of the increasingly just-a-click-away times, textbooks will be sold entirely online. Students can purchase them at textbooks.gcu.edu through the University’s official supplier, Follett, and they also can go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or any other online book outlet that has the correct titles and editions.
Specific information about which courses use digital or print materials is at textbooks.gcu.edu.
“The vast majority of students already are acquiring printed textbooks through some other mechanism than the bookstore,” said Mark Alexander, senior vice president of curriculum and content services.
Not only will the new store gain retail space with the absence of books, it also will be about 2,200 square feet, almost twice as big as the old one.
“It will be a fresh new feel, more of a retail feel,” Alexander said. “It will be like walking into a mall.”
The Lope Shop will be on “Lopes Way,” the new campus hub that will be built over the summer from the Student Union to Camelback Hall. Offices on the first floor of Prescott and Camelback will be moving elsewhere to make room for several new food outlets plus the campus store, and several outdoor dining areas will be installed.
While the new campus store is under construction, GCU merchandise will be available at the Team Shop in the Arena. The current bookstore building will be demolished to make room for a new soccer stadium.
Contact Rick Vacek at 602-639-8203 or [email protected].
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW CAMPUS STORE
When will the current bookstore close?
Right after commencement. It is scheduled to begin the moving process in the first week of May.
Where is it moving?
It will be on the first floor of Prescott Hall in a much larger space and with a new name, the "Lope Shop."
Will it still sell books?
No. Students will buy all books online, either at textbooks.gcu.edu or at online booksellers such as Amazon.
Will the new store have the same merchandise?
No. It will be more like a regular retail store and, in addition to GCU insignia merchandise, will carry everything from computer supplies to birthday cards.
When will it open?
The new location is expected to open on Monday, Aug. 10.
What if I want to buy a GCU T-shirt between May and early August?
The Team Shop in GCU Arena will continue to have plenty of options.
What’s going to happen to the old bookstore building?
It will be demolished to make room for the new soccer stadium.
