Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), in partnership with the Follett Higher Education Group, today announced that the campus bookstore will be totally remodeled to enhance the shopping experience for faculty, students, alumnae/i, and the community.

“We want this store to be a destination for every student as well as a campus meeting place,” said Richard Goodpaster, regional manager for Follett Higher Education Group. “We know we will achieve this goal in our renovation.”

The renovation, a culmination of many months of planning, is designed to enhance the shopping experience for the entire Saint Mary-of-the-Woods community. The renovation will include:

•    Shopping efficiency that will provide greater shopping ease, increased merchandise space, improved clothing displays and gift items, and an overall ambience that invites both students and faculty to browse. Aisles and end caps will be clearly visible upon entering the store.
•    More than 1,100 square feet dedicated to trade and textbooks and more than 2,000 square feet featuring clothing, gifts, supplies, and greater convenience offerings such as health and beauty aids. In total, the bookstore will cover more than 4,800 square feet of space.
•    A new, richer and more cohesive look that incorporates the school colors into the store’s palate. The color scheme will be warm and inviting, and it will be coordinated to provide a pleasant retail ambiance. The fixtures will feature an oiled cherry finish.
•    Customer seating in a new trade book department that will encourage leisure reading and customer browsing.
•    A relocation of the clothing and gift departments to the store’s entrance for increased customer visibility.
•    A relocation of the checkout counter to one side of the store’s entrance to create more noticeable merchandise displays.
•    The integration of campus life photos, capturing campus scenes, to enhance the store’s ambiance and tie the store into the community.
•    Modernized fixtures and accessories to incorporate Follett’s “signature look.” In addition, the departments will be sized to meet the current needs of students.
•    A new flexible merchandise plan to meet changing merchandising needs and traffic flow.

“We are very excited about the remodel project and Follett’s efforts to provide a greater selection of products in our bookstore,” said SMWC president David G. Behrs, Ph.D., “The bookstore is a significant resource for our students, faculty, staff, alumnae/i, parents, friends and visitors, and by partnering with Follett on this project, we will certainly add quality to their shopping experience.”

The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Bookstore is the official bookstore of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and is located in Hulman Hall on the SMWC campus. Store hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed on Sunday. Hours are extended for back-to-school periods and special events. The Bookstore will remain open during the renovations, and a grand re-opening will take place in January. For more information about the SMWC Bookstore, call 812- 535-5228, email smwc@bkstr.com, or visit the bookstore online at http://smwc.bkstr.com.