Abandoned Resources: Campus Bookstore
Emily Cobb | April 6, 2023
Watson Jones
Abandoned campus store
In lower Gladfelter, Warren Wilson College (WWC) students can find many things. Cowpie Cafe, Cowpie sunroom, the game room, Box of Baguettes (BOB), a few offices, the mail room — and one room that remains abandoned: the campus bookstore.
Upon looking in, one can see a checkout counter, a fridge, a few chairs, a few WWC shirts and other various items untouched. The bookstore is right next to the game room, and there are still signs in lower Gladfelter directing visitors to the bookstore that is no longer in use.
Eleanor Koch is a senior at WWC and is double majoring in outdoor leadership and environmental education. They have been on the Adventure Programs Crew since 2018 and attended WWC when the bookstore was still running.
“It had all your basics — things like pens, note cards, toothpaste, soap, drinks and stuff like actually cool Wilson shirts — not like the stuff that's on the website now,” Koch said. “Students made T-shirts, and there'd also be fiber arts crafts that were made, and were being sold. Some students had cards that they drew and sold as well.”
Jonathan “JoGo” Gonzales started at WWC in August of 2021 when the campus bookstore was no longer running. He is the director of student activities as well as the overseer of queer life at WWC, specifically the Queer Resource Center (QRC).
“I don't know if it will be a bookstore again,” Gonzales said. “But I think when I'm on a college campus, I am drawn toward the bookstore, and I know we get a lot of questions from families about where they can purchase Warren Wilson gear. And sadly, we don't have a campus bookstore. They [families] want to show their Warren Wilson pride. It would be great if there were some pop-ups like the bookstore did last academic year.”
Koch wants the bookstore to return, citing how it was especially helpful for students who did not have a car or only needed a small item from the store.
“I think [the bookstore] definitely [added] convenience and accessibility,” Koch said. “Also, you'd often have your textbooks there. It was very nice. Also, not the main goal or anything, but the art aspect of it, and the fact that you could go and buy your friends art, was really cool and brought some sense of community and connection.”
According to Gonzales, due to the space and its location and size, there is a lot of potential for it, especially for student use.
“The official name of Gladfelter is the Gladfelter Student Center, and I think whatever is in there needs to reflect the student center,” Gonzales said. “I think there's a lot of potential to have a lively space, whether it's clubs and organizations, or student governments. It's a space that needs to be utilized for students.”
They stated how the space could be a conference room for students to come together or for organizations to meet like Student Government Association (SGA) and Class Committees, or even turning the bookstore into a communal working space.
Gonzales also mentioned how we already see community spaces in lower Gladfelter like the game room, a space for students to relax and hang out in that is especially helpful for day students and students who live across campus.
“I think community is such an important thing, especially at a small campus community like Wilson,” Gonzales said. “I think that's the importance of maximizing the potential of spaces to create community. And ultimately, hopefully, people want to remain here at Warren Wilson.”
Gonzales also stressed how though it takes a lot of time and effort, places can be revitalized, listing the new QRC space in lower Sunderland. With the help of the Paint Crew, CORE Crew and the QRC Crew, the space was able to turn from a storage closet to a resource students can use.
As far as the next steps for the bookstore, Gonzales recommended talking to the Dean of Students Tacci Smith as well as the interim chief financial officer (CFO) Alan Russell. That way, students get an opportunity to voice what they want to happen with the space.
“I feel like the administration wants students’ voices at the table,” Gonzales said. “We want people [who are] part of student government, part of class committees, to like, bring those ideas and that energy.”
This is not the only building, space or vehicle on campus that is currently untouched and unused. The pool, the HVAC/old Boiler Crew room and several golf carts, buses and cars are also in the same position due to time, COVID-19 and a lack of resources. Koch said she noticed a difference in the WWC community after COVID-19. Places that had once been hubs for the WWC community had vanished, like the Bookstore and Sage Cafe.
Gonzales expressed how not only do spaces need to be revitalized, the campus and community needs to be as well.
“I think showing up for things is a big part of it [revitalizing the community],” Gonzales said. “Getting out of your comfort zone, getting to know different people, getting to know different spaces on campus. I feel like there are a lot of cool events that happen frequently.”
Overall, Gonzales wants the campus to continue to adapt. He said that it is already being done in spaces like Sage Cafe and that, over time, other areas will be revitalized to strengthen WWC and its community.
“This [WWC] is a very special place, like we have over 50% queer-identified people,” Gonzales said. “I think we need to be in community for the revitalization process to happen. It's not going to happen overnight, it's going to take a community effort.”