Q & A looks back at successful first year of self-operated bookstore

October 25, 2011

In July 2010, Lewis & Clark took over operation of the campus bookstore, which had been run by Barnes & Noble for 23 years. The Source connected with Director of Auxilaries Wendy Washburn, who oversees the bookstore, to learn about what has changed in the past year and what goals remain for the store.

How has your role evolved, and what are you focused on as Director of Auxiliaries?

My responsibilities in the auxiliary area have evolved over the last 10 years, expanding as others left the college, leaving work behind that still needed to be done. I’m currently responsible for mail services, copy services, law student rental houses, student health insurance, and the bookstore. I was serving as the liaison to Barnes & Noble when the decision was made to bring the store back to a self-operated store, so I was lucky enough to be on the ground floor of the project. It’s been both challenging and fulfilling.

In its first year of self-operation, our bookstore has changed significantly. What are some of the bookstore’s greatest successes from the past year?

Most of us are aware of the significant changes occurring in college bookstores nationally. Students can and do buy their books from a dozen or more large, mostly online vendors, and the bricks and mortar bookstore is going through a painful loss of revenue. There is an industry paradigm change, necessitating that college stores like ours build sales and services in other areas, such as offering a more interesting and diverse clothing and fashion section; expanding the art, computer, beauty, school, dorm, and swimming supply sections; and increasing snack food and entertainment. The college bookstore of the future will have a different look and feel, and must serve its primary audience, the students, in more creative ways. The addition of the fireplace and coffee nook was part of that plan. We want students to be comfortable hanging out in the store, drinking our Stumptown coffee and eating the yummy baked goods, with the hope that they’ll see and be interested in the new and different merchandise purchased by our energetic and talented manager, Janet Kehn. If you haven’t been in lately, be sure to stop by. Building a new store is a process; we have an exceptional, albeit small, staff, and after 21 short months they should be proud of their accomplishments.

What types of responses have you received from students, faculty, and other community members about the changes in the bookstore? 

People are generally excited and complimentary about the store. We’ve received lots of positive comments from enthusiastic shoppers. Everyone has a vision of what they would like to see the store become. That’s wonderful, and we encourage the input. While textbook sales are disappointing, that is not unexpected, and sales in other areas are increasing. We’ve just had our first meeting of the Bookstore Advisory Committee, which is designed to provide an opportunity for feedback from each campus constituency. The members are a wonderful group of interested individuals who we will rely upon to help us continue to build a viable, service-based college store.

What can you tell us about the policy regarding purchasing through the bookstore? How will the policy help Lewis & Clark maintain its commitment to humane working conditions? 

For many years now college students have led the charge against sweatshop conditions in the factories that produce their logo-bearing clothing. Lewis & Clark maintains memberships in both the Fair Labor Association and the Workers Rights Consortium, watchdog groups that expect members to uphold their organizational doctrines. The college bookstore industry has also heard this mandate and is supported by vendors who hold their factories accountable to strict codes of conduct designed to protect workers. We take this mandate seriously when purchasing store merchandise, and the Executive Council has also directed campus departments to make their purchases through the store to assure full compliance. In addition, the LC bookstore carries fair trade and sustainable products. Our goal is to create a bookstore that reflects the values and traditions of the Lewis & Clark community—a store that is uniquely Lewis & Clark. The closer the store’s connections and ties to the students, faculty, and staff, the more successful we’ll be at reaching that goal.

Are there any changes on the horizon for the bookstore that you’d care to share?

We’re exploring a number of web-based solutions that promise to help us provide our students with textbooks at the most competitive pricing possible. We are also planning to build a more robust web presence to provide an online shopping experience that is as inviting and enjoyable as shopping in the physical store. It’s important that we meet the expectations of not only our students but of our distant alumni, parents, trustees, and those newly admitted students who want a shirt to prove it! 

Lewis & Clark Bookstore