BOOKSTORE TO OPEN IN UNIVERSITY VILLAGE
Old Dominion University announced plans to open a three-and-a-half-story, 42,000-square-foot bookstore, complete with a caf�, a robust selection of merchandise and 5,400 square feet of trade book space, in its University Village.
The facility will cost an estimated $7 million and will be located on the corner of 45th Street and Monarch Way, adjacent to the university's Ted Constant Convocation Center. Owned by the Old Dominion University Real Estate Foundation, the building will replace the current bookstore in Webb University Center. The university recently announced a 15-year contract with Follett Higher Education Group to manage its bookstore operations.
"This bookstore represents an important next step in the development of the University Village � it anchors the other retail and cultural attractions along Monarch Way to benefit both the university and the entire Norfolk community," said Robert L. Fenning, vice president for administration and finance. "It will be a place where local residents can peruse one of the largest selection of books in Norfolk, enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend or unwind following a show at the Ted Constant Convocation Center."
The building's first and second floors will be dedicated to the bookstore, which will offer approximately 20,000 titles � from bestsellers to children's books. General merchandise will be located the first level and academic books on the second. The first floor will also feature a caf�, with an outdoor seating area. Old Dominion's Office of Development will occupy the upper floors.
Construction is slated to begin in late summer and officials anticipate the store to open in September 2007. Tymoff+Moss Architects is the consulting architect for the project.
Follett Higher Education Group, a family-owned corporation that manages more than 740 college bookstores throughout the United States and Canada, began management of the current university bookstore May 27.
"We thank Old Dominion for selecting Follett to be their educational partner for bookstore services," said Thomas A. Christopher, president of Follett. "We will create a bookstore in which the university can take great pride and one that will be a benefit to the entire community."
Follett Higher Education Group, founded in 1873, also operates campus bookstores at the University of California at Berkeley, University of Notre Dame and Stanford University, among others. Additionally, Follett provides bookstore services and programs to more than 1,800 independently owned bookstores.