By Leah Rogers

Contributing Writer

If you haven’t already noticed, the bookstore has moved to a brand-new location in downtown Lewisburg. The old bookstore was conveniently located in the Elaine Langone Center, right in the middle of campus. The new downtown bookstore is bigger and more modern; it has everything, including miniature escalators. But is the new bookstore too much?

It has plenty of positives. It is much bigger and more aesthetically pleasing than the old bookstore, featuring classy dark wood floors, a cool atmosphere, mini-escalators and even a Starbucks for those who need a pick-me-up after making the trek from campus. “It’s the biggest college bookstore I have ever seen. It has escalators, so it’s awesome. It has everything you need, all in one place,” Katie Perez ’14 said.

There is much more space, and having three floors makes for a much better selection of merchandise. The second floor is a sea of blue and orange clothing and other items. Students can get everything they could ever want emblazoned with the University logo, ranging from sweats and t-shirts to shot glasses and baby clothing.

Downtown Lewisburg also appreciates the new bookstore. Having the bookstore off campus will cause more students to go downtown, which means more business for restaurants and shops. Citizens of Lewisburg can now visit the bookstore easily, increasing the bookstore’s profit and helping citizens feel more connected to the University.

The new bookstore’s biggest drawback is its location. Having the bookstore downtown may be good for business, but it is very inconvenient for students. Students who live downhill can enjoy a relatively short, easy walk downtown. For students living uphill, things aren’t so simple. The walk takes about 15 minutes, but it feels like years walking back uphill with bags full of books.

Shuttle buses take students from campus to downtown, but nobody ever seems to know what the exact schedule is. Instead of waiting around for a bus to show up, students just make the hike downtown to save time. “Although the bookstore was moved further away, I feel like it’s worth the walk because of all the improvements that were made,” Mike Kehrli ’13 said.

The bookstore also did a poor job of stocking textbooks during the first week of classes. Students’ books were backordered, making it hard to do classwork on time. Nicole Mastrodomenico ’14 felt the burden. “I had to return a bunch of times to get all of my books. I didn’t appreciate the long walk back, and I couldn’t figure out the shuttle schedule,” she said.

Although the new bookstore might be a tad over the top—maybe we could do without the escalators—it was definitely worth the upgrade. If the shuttle schedule were better known, the bookstore would be more accessible, and students could enjoy it with citizens of downtown Lewisburg. Overall, the new bookstore is a great improvement and the positive outcomes will continue to grow as we use it in the years ahead.