Improving access to CC merchandise

Colorado College administrators have heard the same complaint for years: The bookstore, in the basement of the student center building, is too difficult for the public to access.

The solution is Tigers on Tejon, a satellite outlet that opened Monday.

Visible from the sidewalk and near plenty of metered street parking, the new shop is in the CC-owned Spencer Building at 830 N. Tejon St., south of the campus.

Gifts and clothing, along with Colorado-oriented books, snacks, periodicals, newspapers and other merchandise, are geared toward alumni, parents, staff and locals who want to show support for the CC Tigers' sports teams by buying a logoed hockey jersey, golf shirt, baseball cap or athletic pants.

"We'd heard a number of comments that the main store was hard to find, there wasn't a lot of parking available, and they felt awkward coming onto the campus. We wanted to create an outlet for CC merchandise and memorabilia in a location people felt comfortable in," said Chris Melcher, the college's director of business and general counsel.

Reaching out to the community is part of the private, liberal arts college's goal to more closely connect Pikes Peak area residents with CC's 1,950 students, most of whom hail from out of town.

Melcher said he plans to offer public cultural events at Tigers on Tejon, such as book signings, children's book readings, special sales and presentations by visiting authors. Wireless Internet connection and a lounge area are in the works.

The store also will have a TicketsWest outlet. CC and TicketsWest hope to have it up and running in time for CC's first hockey game on Oct. 6.

Melcher said the new store complements the college's revitalization plan. In recent years, the college has acquired numerous buildings surrounding the campus, which it intends to redevelop into a mixture of retail shops, condos and a sports and fitness center. The school's new performing arts center encompassing a block on North Cascade Avenue opened in June.

Beth Kosley, executive director of the business advocacy group Downtown Partnership, said the addition of CC bookstore should "further energize the North Tejon Street corridor and start knitting the campus into other parts of downtown."

"CC has fabulous plans for that area that are contemporary and progressive, and it's very exciting," she said.

The new bookstore also is expected to boost sales, which, Melcher said, have faltered at the main bookstore in recent years with the advent of mass online retailers. While he declined to give the profit margin for the main bookstore, he said it falls below the annual average of 27.7 percent for total net sales, as determined by the National Association of College Stores.

"It's been a difficult environment for college bookstores," Melcher said, "and we've been working on adjusting to the changing market by finding new ways to meet customer needs, reducing costs and overhead, and improving customer service to offer support and services you can't get online."

CC has hired a subcontractor to help run the main bookstore, the new outlet and a merchandise booth at the World Arena, the home ice of CC's hockey team. Illinois-based Follett Higher Education Group is providing management consulting, extra staff, a financial software system and buying power for inventory, Melcher said.

"We made sure we retained full ownership and control over the bookstore and the outlets, and we've kept all college employees in their positions," he said. "We're not outsourcing or turning over the management."

An outside vendor has run the merchandise booth at the World Arena for the past four years, but this year, CC is resuming its operations, Melcher said.

-

Contact the writer: 636-0235 or debbie.kelley@gazette.com