The Georgetown University Bookstore reopened Monday in the space directly above its normal location after closing for three days to move the site of the store in order to continue renovations.
The new area is accessible by elevator. The bookstore will continue to operate out of the new upstairs location until the renovation of the lower level area is complete. According to Jim Coleman, the manager of the bookstore, the renovations are scheduled to be finished by the end of May. The timely completion of the renovations will depend on favorable weather conditions and on the avoidance of labor delays, he said. The project began June 15, 2000.
The current bookstore site houses close to the same number of textbooks as the previous one did. In order to fit the bookstore into the smaller space upstairs, which is 10,000 square feet, as opposed to the downstairs area’s 14,000 square feet, cuts were made in the number of non-textbook materials displayed.
When the renovations are complete, the bookstore will operate on two levels, with escalators and an elevator connecting the floors. The upper level will display textbooks and supplies and will also contain a lounge with a performance area for student groups. Georgetown apparel and other products will remain downstairs. There will be registers on both levels and the number of registers will increase, according to Coleman, resulting in a significant drop in waiting time during the high-traffic parts of the semester. Textbooks will also be available for purchase for a longer time during each semester, due to the increase in space.
According to Coleman, the University has long intended to further renovate parts of the Leavey Center. Coleman said that as many as three floors may be added to the area above the store in the future.
