Seton Hill University (SHU) celebrated the grand opening of the Barnes & Noble bookstore Oct. 21. SHU President Mary Finger cut the gold and red ribbon at the ceremony. The bookstore’s provider changed back in June. Following renovations at the beginning of October, a new wall was added to separate the books from the apparel and other merchandise.
“We’ve had a wonderful beginning with Barnes & Noble,” said Barbara Hinkle, vice president of administration and the registrar at SHU. “They brought in architects, planners and designers and consulted with Amy, because Amy knows Seton Hill better than Barnes & Noble does, and came up with this plan.”
Brighter lighting, wall decals and paint and a new door were only some of the renovations to the bookstore. Students are now able to see inside the store to peek at the new products being offered.
“I think it’s delightful,” said Hinkle. “It’s not a square inch bigger in floor space than we’ve had for years, but it looks so much bigger. It’s conducive for conducting business and it’s a place that people want to check out.”
A desk was also added for Amy Biller, the manager of the bookstore, and Shannon Davis for students to ask questions.
“It’s very much under Seton Hill and Amy’s direction. It’s what she believes and what she’s heard from our customers about what you want. They’ve been very helpful to us and it will be wonderful to work to them,” said Hinkle.
The B&N regional and district manager sent their apologies for not being able to attend.
“I can’t believe that this is the same space that we saw a few months ago,” said Finger. “I think that it started off well.”
Published By: Paige Parise