Photos by Ralph Freso
Hydroponics garden products and Hugarounds stuffed animals?
They'll be just some of the new items making their way to the shelves at Grand Canyon University's Lope Shop, which is preparing for Welcome Week from Aug. 25-Sept. 1. Welcome Week is one of the two busiest times of the year for the campus retailer, along with Family Weekend.
Changes will be evident from the time students and their families walk in, with wood paneling throughout the store, a purple tile backsplash and beams on the ceiling that will be painted purple well in advance of Welcome Week.
The Ink’d Greetings kiosk also was moved from the back of the store to the front.
Those cosmetic changes will arrive ahead of Welcome Week, when more than 30,000 pieces of merchandise are sold in the five days before the start of the fall semester.
The Lope Shop is preparing for 18,000 to 20,000 customers that week, said Andy Dunn, director of Campus Retail and Licensing. The retailer also will add 20 to 30 additional staff members, and it will nearly triple its student workers from 20 to 25 per shift – in addition to its six to eight full-time staffers.
“We are receiving new merchandise every day. It almost feels like Christmas around here with all the boxes being opened and hearing the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' each time we see what new item just got received," Dunn said.
Arizona is known for the desert, but those traveling from green pastures now will have the opportunity to feel somewhat at home with the addition of hydroponic garden products featuring indoor plants designed to help beautify student residences.
A dorm display will be placed in the middle of the women’s section, and youngsters visiting the shop can design their own version of GCU with coloring books.
Heat is expected to be prevalent through at least September, but there is help for those who might experience neck soreness from moving or might be seeking relief when temperatures eventually cool. A new line at the shop will be Hugarounds, microwave-safe stuffed animals that can be wrapped around the neck. They're designed to provide comfort and calm nerves.
The Hugarounds and store features will complement current and new apparel throughout the store.
There’s also a personal touch for customers, such as a “Papa Lope” sign for fathers’ apparel, “Grandma, Grandpa” sign for grandparents’ clothing, and a “Lil’ Lopes” sign for children’s apparel on the backwall of the Lope Shop.
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
