Kings and Wilkes announce new book store plans

WILKES-BARRE — King’s College and Wilkes University, long linked at the bookstore with a joint deal involving Barnes & Noble in what once was a Woolworth’s store near Public Square, announced new plans for their campus stores Wednesday.

In a nutshell, both schools will open separate stores once the deal with Barnes & Noble expires this fall. Here are the separate statements issued by King’s and Wilkes:

From Wilkes University president Greg Cant:

As you may know, our lease at the Barnes and Noble collegiate bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre is nearing its end. This collaborative retail shop has served as the home to the Wilkes bookstore for 15 years. More importantly, it served as an anchor tenant in the development of South Main Street. I was so pleased to learn about the history of this joint venture with King’s College and the economic activity it helped to inspire in our home town. Wilkes-Barre’s success is paramount to the experience that we offer at Wilkes. The revitalization of the downtown continues to be a priority for our institution.

As the lease concludes, I am proud to announce our new plans. Starting this August, Wilkes University will once again have a bookstore here on campus.

The process began nearly three years ago when the University conducted a thorough assessment of the feasibility of a bookstore on campus. In fall 2020, a committee of students, faculty and staff formed to begin the process of identifying a vendor for our future needs. After a request for proposal and thorough review process, the University has committed to continuing its relationship with Barnes and Noble. Their proposal was highly impressive with cost savings on academic materials that ultimately benefit our students and physical enhancements that benefit our campus. We have signed a five-year contract with Barnes and Noble that extends through 2026.

The Wilkes campus bookstore will be located on the first floor of the Henry Student Center in the area of the current student lounge. Many will remember a time when that was the permanent home of the bookstore. A revamped and expanded space in the hub of student activity will make it a convenient and memorable location to serve our students.

In addition, Barnes and Noble will support a variety of virtual needs. Whether ordering textbooks or selling them back, the store’s online presence will provide options with affordability, flexibility and convenience in mind. 24/7 customer service will be available by phone, email and live chat.

Initial designs are being finalized and work will begin later this spring. The new store will be operational in advance of the fall semester. Some staff offices, as well as the Student Government office and the Club Hub, will be relocated. More information about how construction may impact the student center will be shared with you in the weeks ahead.

The project is financed in conjunction with Barnes and Noble whose proposal included a competitive financial contribution while achieving student-focused service goals. Hosting the bookstore back on our campus may also create a small but added source of auxiliary revenue.

I want to thank the members of our bookstore committee. Chaired by Alicia Bond, students Anna Culver and Kevin Long served on the committee, along with faculty members Ruth Hughes and Donald Mencer, and staff members Mark Allen, Missy Howells, Justin Kraynack and Bryn Timlin. I also want to thank the local and community leaders, past and present, who helped support this initiative back in 2006 and through the end of our lease in 2021.

We will continue to share news with you in the weeks ahead. We are also developing a web page that will track the progress of construction. Please stay tuned for updates.

From King’s College:

King’s College announced today that in August 2021, upon the expiration of the lease agreement of the joint bookstore initiative undertaken with Wilkes University, it intends to establish a new King’s bookstore and spirit store within the heart of the King’s campus, at the location formerly occupied by S&W Restaurant at 149 North Main Street.

The new location will open in August 2021. The College has selected eCampus, a well-respected online retailer of new, used, and electronic textbooks for sale or rent, study materials, and book buyback services to be its new provider for textbooks and materials for the new location as well as management of the campus store.

The joint venture between King’s, Wilkes University, and other partners located on Public Square began in 2006. In the fifteen years since, King’s has continued to invest significantly in downtown WilkesBarre, including removing and rebuilding blighted and vacant properties, and infusing people, resources, and energy into the city’s center.

Just a few examples of these investments include the Alley Center for Health Sciences (formerly the Ramada Hotel on the northwest corner of Public Square), the Miners Memorial Park (on Public Square), the Mulligan Center for Engineering (formerly the Spring Brook Water Company building on North Franklin Street), the Chapel of Christ the King at the George and Giovita Maffei Family Commons (formerly the Memorial Church on North Street), and the Rev. Thomas O’Hara, C.S.C., Hall (the former Mary Macintosh and Corcoran Printing site on North Main Street).

The decision to return the bookstore to an on-campus location is influenced by the changing model of collegiate bookstores and the increasingly online-focused method of delivery for educational materials preferred by students, along with the desire to have an easily-accessible retail space on campus to purchase spirit store apparel and merchandise.

To aid in this process, the College formed a bookstore selection committee composed of King’s community members representing students, faculty, facilities, business operations, alumni, and other key constituencies to request proposals from and review potential vendors, and ultimately make a recommendation to the administration for the new vendor. Those vendors that chose to submit proposals were rated based on ease of ordering, student experience (affordability, ordering, payment, delivery), faculty experience (adoption process, training, availability of resources), technology, confidence in follow-through of each vendor, and overall fit for King’s College. The committee unanimously endorsed eCampus as the College’s next partner in this area.

VP of business affairs, CFO, Janet Kobylski commented, “As I worked with the executive team at eCampus during the negotiation process, it was apparent they were very excited to become a part of the King’s College community and operate with the College’s and the students’ best interests at heart.”

King’s College student Grace Joy Dacey ’23, a pre-physician assistant student who also serves on the student government executive board, was a member of the committee and represented students’ interests in the selection of the new vendor. She said, “As a student at King’s College, I felt a disconnect to our campus book and spirit store. With our new plans for the bookstore, students will receive the benefits of high-quality made spirit wear, cheaper textbooks, and an on-campus experience. This bookstore will be fully oriented to King’s students and their needs. While I was on the committee, I represented my peers and their needs. Working with the committee was one of the highlights of 2020 for me; the committee was able to help decide the future of the King’s College community.”