The College of William and Mary Bookstore, operated by Barnes & Noble, announced Mar. 9 through their social media accounts that they would be relocating before the start of the fall 2021 semester. The bookstore will close at its current location in Merchants Square in mid-June and plans to reopen at before the start of the fall semester.
The new location on Prince George Street will be in the Triangle Building, located between the College’s Sorority Court and the Williamsburg Regional Library. The Triangle Building is also home to other merchants including The Bake Shop Bakery and Coffee Bar and Rick’s Cheese Steak Shop.
This new venue will be smaller than the Merchants Square location, and there will be a smaller selection of merchandise in the store. Additionally, the new location will no longer have a café located in the store. However, bookstore general manager Susan Lemerise said the new location will provide advantages that the current one does not.
“The smaller space will mean that our physical offerings are more limited, but we are excited to offer new outdoor seating where our customers can gather and also to be in close proximity to other businesses in the Triangle area, where customers can grab a cup of coffee or a quick meal,” Lemerise said.
Director of the College’s Auxiliary Services Cindy Glavas said the move will balance student and community needs.
“The move reflects the Bookstore’s continued adaptations to the sale and delivery of university textbooks and course materials while recognizing the value of in-person shopping for W&M merchandise and supplies” Glavas said in a statement. “We hope the move will be well received by students due to its proximity to student housing and the core of campus. By partnering with existing Triangle Building tenants and providing outdoor seating areas, we hope this will become an off-campus hub for students.”
April Sage ’24 initially had mixed feelings when she learned about the bookstore switching locations. Sage said that she likes the current location of the bookstore in Merchants Square, due to its ease of accessibility and location close to campus.
“At first I was like ‘oh, well I think that’s good, maybe it’s moving to a bigger location,’ and it’s good that it will still be in a location near campus,” Sage said. “But now I’m not sure how I feel about it in a good way because I just think it’s currently in a good location being located in a tourist area.”
“At first I was like ‘oh, well I think that’s good, maybe it’s moving to a bigger location,’ and it’s good that it will still be in a location near campus,” Sage said. “But now I’m not sure how I feel about it in a good way because I just think it’s currently in a good location being located in a tourist area.”
Sage also plans on using the outdoor areas that are planned for the new location.
“At the location it’s at now, there are more people around outside due to its location at Merchants Square and with tourists being there,” Sage said. “At its new location, it might be less busy.”
Ultimately, Sage hopes that the move will not cause any major changes to prices at the bookstore.
“With it moving, I hope that they do not raise prices to gain money or anything to offset any costs due to moving,” Sage said.
With the store moving into a smaller location and the elimination of the café, there is a possibility that some employees’ contracts could be terminated.
“We are still making staffing decisions and having these conversations with our employees,” Lemerise said. “Our bookstore team is truly the heart of our store, and we are working together to figure out next steps.”
After the bookstore vacates its current location, the retail space will be marketed and leased through Thalhimer, a real estate agency operating on behalf of Colonial Williamsburg’s Merchants Square. At this time, there is no information as to what business will fill the vacancy.
When the bookstore closes prior to the move this summer, patrons of the College’s bookstore will be able to buy items online.
“Through our website, bookstore.wm.edu, our customers will be able to purchase their course materials, access commencement items and find all of their favorite W&M merchandise,” Lemerise said. “We also have a mobile app that customers can download to access all of these same items.”
Glavas also detailed additional plans to assist with the move between locations.
“We are planning a number of upcoming sales in the W&M Bookstore and potential ‘pop-up’ locations on campus,” Glavas said.
Glavas emphasized that graduating seniors would still be able to get graduation materials from the bookstore, as well.
“We understand that this is a big change for our customers, and we are doing everything in our power to make this move as seamless as possible for everyone,” Lemerise stated. “We hope that our closer proximity to campus and the outdoor space we plan to create will help to turn this new location into a gathering space for students, who we know are eager to see a fall semester that allows for more socializing with friends than the semesters past.”
“We understand that this is a big change for our customers, and we are doing everything in our power to make this move as seamless as possible for everyone,” Lemerise stated. “We hope that our closer proximity to campus and the outdoor space we plan to create will help to turn this new location into a gathering space for students, who we know are eager to see a fall semester that allows for more socializing with friends than the semesters past.”
