Campus Store Opens in Hunt

A rainbow of T-shirts, throws, tote bags, and sweatshirts lines the walls among a vast collection of hats, Mason jar glasses, and water bottles — all beckoning students to show their school pride. The new Mary Baldwin store is now open for business in Lyda B. Hunt Dining Hall.

“We wanted a new look, fresh merchandise that’s seasonal, and a welcoming atmosphere,” said Rick Czerwinski, director of budget and risk management, who was on the team who helped plan and open the new retail space.

The new campus store was constructed this summer, taking up a portion of the large open meeting space just off the Hunt lobby, formally known as the Nuthouse. Thanks to the soft launch earlier this month, Bookstore Manager Brad Clatterbuck said he was able to take advantage of the crowds on campus for Family Weekend.

“I was slammed. We had a very successful day,” he said, adding that he has received a lot of positive feedback from the campus community since unveiling the new space. A grand opening is planned in the next few weeks, and with that opening will come more regular business hours.

Shoppers are discovering merchandise from new vendors, such as Under Armour, and soon, a Nike rep will come to campus, Czerwinski revealed. All items for sale in the store will also be available to purchase online.

Brad Clatterbuck makes a sale in the new campus store, located in Hunt Hall.
Brad Clatterbuck makes a sale in the new campus store, located in Hunt Hall.

This past spring, Mary Baldwin closed the former bookstore in the Pannill Student Center after entering into a partnership with Akademos, Inc., an online bookstore that provides affordable textbooks and digital learning tools.

“[Using Akademos] has been really great,” said Terra Daniels, a senior criminal justice major from Chester. “It was simple to learn and use, and I saved quite a bit of money.”

Shifting the bookstore space from Pannill to Hunt also opened up much-needed interim office space for the College of Education.