Officials opened the new Campus Store on Wednesday after pushing back the store’s debut date from the fall to February.
The Campus Store at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. opened its doors Wednesday, followed by a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony with free gift bags and a performance by student musicians that was attended by trustees and other officials. The Campus Store includes an extra floor of merchandise, a screen playing recordings of GW sporting events and other videos, a children’s book section, an Apple products kiosk and an IT help desk.
A step into the Campus Store — which sits next to Bodega, which is not yet open, and across from District House — and students are thrown into a sea of GW pride, with hats, Lululemon clothing and other merchandise decorating the entirety of the ground level. Customers can descend a flight of stairs or take an escalator to the lower level, which holds Apple products, a book section and additional merchandise.
Officials announced their plan to relocate the Campus Store from the basement of the University Student Center to the new 16,000-square-foot, two-story space last January, saying the space will be able to host book readings and lectures. Officials delayed the opening of the store from late last fall to this month after facing supply chain issues.
Colette Coleman, the vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, said at the event that officials are still deciding what to do with the old Campus Store space in the student center basement.
“We’re in the process of thinking that through,” Coleman said.
The Campus Store will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Officials said they will extend store hours for some campus and local events.
Coleman said it is “wonderful” to have the new campus store above ground and visible, which helps the brand.
“You’re gonna be able to see it,” Coleman said. “No more being lost in the basement of the student center.”
Karen Zinn, the University’s associate vice president of real estate, said officials have been thinking about a different location for the Campus Store for “many” years.
“Having a campus store in the basement of your student center for our campus was not ideal,” Zinn said at the event.
Seth Weinshel, the University’s associate vice president of business service, said the Campus Store is “state of the art” and a “flagship” space for GW. He said he thinks GW’s store is the best university store in the country.
“This is more than just a store,” Weinshel said. “It’s a community space.”
