Livin' at the 'Mont
The traveliing bookstore
by Tim Suda
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Features
We can expect vehicles to move around a lot. We also can expect musicians to do large amount of traveling. The one thing most wouldn't expect to move around a lot is a college bookstore.
In the past 10 years the Piedmont College bookstore has been in three different locations. That's a lot of movement for a business. It seems that the famous real estate saying, "Location. Location. Location," does not apply to our bookstore. For the past six years there has been one consistency, Judy Hibbard, the textbook supervisor of the bookstore.
In early 2000, the bookstore was located in the basement of Neilsen Hall, in what is now known as Fireside dining room. Hibbard was hired in July 2001. Three years later the bookstore contract went up for bids and Piedmont granted the business to Barnes and Noble College Booksellers.
Soon after the ownership changed, the college decided to enlarge the Lakeside Dining Hall and needed the area that was used by the bookstore. The bookstore then moved into what is now The Grill on Georgia Street. It took the place of the student center. By the first week of May 2004, the building was completely remodeled from the student center into a functioning bookstore.
In July 2007, the bookstore moved to its current location. The move was an effort for the building to become available for the food service company to put an on-campus restaurant. The current location had to be partially remodeled before the bookstore could be moved. One of the major renovations of the building was the installation of the sub flooring of the room that houses the textbook area.
The Athens location of the Piedmont College bookstore, while still new, has also moved just in the past couple of years. The bookstore was originally located in the Heritage building on Milledge Ave. It was recently moved to the Mitchell House when Piedmont relocated to its new facility on Prince Ave.
Although no one knows if the bookstore will move again, Hibbard says the bookstore is a great working environment. Hibbard has no plans of leaving the bookstore, even if it moves again. She says that she enjoys working there especially during the beginning of semesters.
"The utter joy that's expressed when students line up to purchase textbooks for the semester just makes it all worthwhile."
In the past 10 years the Piedmont College bookstore has been in three different locations. That's a lot of movement for a business. It seems that the famous real estate saying, "Location. Location. Location," does not apply to our bookstore. For the past six years there has been one consistency, Judy Hibbard, the textbook supervisor of the bookstore.
In early 2000, the bookstore was located in the basement of Neilsen Hall, in what is now known as Fireside dining room. Hibbard was hired in July 2001. Three years later the bookstore contract went up for bids and Piedmont granted the business to Barnes and Noble College Booksellers.
Soon after the ownership changed, the college decided to enlarge the Lakeside Dining Hall and needed the area that was used by the bookstore. The bookstore then moved into what is now The Grill on Georgia Street. It took the place of the student center. By the first week of May 2004, the building was completely remodeled from the student center into a functioning bookstore.
In July 2007, the bookstore moved to its current location. The move was an effort for the building to become available for the food service company to put an on-campus restaurant. The current location had to be partially remodeled before the bookstore could be moved. One of the major renovations of the building was the installation of the sub flooring of the room that houses the textbook area.
The Athens location of the Piedmont College bookstore, while still new, has also moved just in the past couple of years. The bookstore was originally located in the Heritage building on Milledge Ave. It was recently moved to the Mitchell House when Piedmont relocated to its new facility on Prince Ave.
Although no one knows if the bookstore will move again, Hibbard says the bookstore is a great working environment. Hibbard has no plans of leaving the bookstore, even if it moves again. She says that she enjoys working there especially during the beginning of semesters.
"The utter joy that's expressed when students line up to purchase textbooks for the semester just makes it all worthwhile."
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