From staff reports
PennWest Clarion will celebrate the grand opening of The Clarion Store in its former space on the ground floor of the Gemmell Student Center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
“The ultimate goal was to bring the bookstore back to (Gemmell) to increase accessibility by centralizing the location on campus,” said Megan Boozer, manager of The Clarion Store.
In 2013, the store moved to Suites on Main South. And with the new location came operation by a lease management company.
“As the space was utilized by multiple programs since the previous bookstore occupied the space, multiple renovations were necessary,” Boozer said.
That includes new drywall and flooring, paint and ceilings.
The space includes upgrading the lighting to LED, a new retail door and a paint scheme with a brighter version of the Clarion blue and gold – a marriage between the traditional Clarion colors and PennWest University’s blue and Global Online’s gold.
A new wall sets apart space for student programming.
“Since its inception, (the Students’ Association) has been funded by the student activity fee,” Boozer said. “At the end of each year, any unused funds revert back to the general fund and are invested for future use that benefits students. The store is a large-scale project using those funds,” Boozer added.
She noted that over the years, as stewards of these funds, the Students’ Association has consistently invested to provide for future student-driven projects.
“The store is split into three areas — legacy, athletics and PennWest Clarion,” she said. “We have styled the largest portion of the store with current students in mind; the items are Clarion — and PennWest — focused, with an attempt to stay as trendy and current as possible.”
Transitioning from a leased management company to a Students’ Association owned store in 2021 provided an opportunity for students to have a say in what is in the store.
Along with Boozer, seven students will staff the store.
“Our staff of student workers are active participants in design, purchasing and pricing. Student affordability has been a focus in the process from start to finish,” Boozer said. “We strive to have something for everyone.”
The ribbon cutting is scheduled to include remarks by PennWest founding president Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, Student Senate treasurer and Students’ Association board member Elyse Talerico, and vice president for advancement and Clarion campus administrator Jim Geiger.