FAYETTEVILLE — All of those new students flocking to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville have some really convenient places to shop. Like, on campus.
It all happens in the new Garland Center, a retail hub in the middle of UA's housing hub that will work as a commercial node for the north end of campus. Anchoring the south end of Garland Center will be the gleaming new 30,000-square-foot bookstore, which opens for business on Monday morning. With its smooth lines, glass walls and polished concrete, the place may seem more like an Apple Store than a bookstore. However, that's not too off the mark, because the new bookstore will feature Apple and Dell products in its "technology store." It's all part of the bookstore's "store within a store concept," which carves out space for brand-name consumer products in areas like electronics and clothing.
"Our new store is taking a bold new initiative in the college store and retailing industry," said Ali Sedeghi, director of the university bookstore, in a statement. "The new store concept will feature a series of name-brand, store-within-a-store concepts."
"This is a store for 2015," Sedeghi added, as some 80 workers swarmed around him Saturday assembling displays and merchandise. "The concept is to understand the needs of the campus and deliver to students the kind of convenience that will make their lives simpler."
Shoppers can expect an OfficeMax school supply store, a Clinique cosmetics counter, a Nike section, a Peets Coffee and Tea shop and others. The former bookstore in the student union will be converted to an exercise facility and computer lab.
"This is one of our first universities where we're doing a retail and campus partnership," said Darren Fischer, director of new business development at OfficeMax, as his workers transformed a section of the store's second floor into an OfficeMax retail outlet. "As a company, we're looking to expand our service outside of the typical OfficeMax store."
Sitting atop a shimmering glass and stone staircase leading to the bookstore's second floor is a Clinique counter that looks like it could have been lifted from any of its high-end department store homes. The cosmetics, like nearly everything else in the store, are product brands students will easily recognize.
"Market research conducted by the university in 2005-06 indicated that students are most interested in name-brand merchants," said David Martinson, associate vice chancellor for business affairs at UA.
In addition to the bookstore, Garland Center, which cost nearly $40 million, will feature several new retail spaces fronting the street. Storefronts like 3 Spoons Yogurt are meant to not only offer some new shopping and service options for students, but also shield the six layers of parking making up the bulk of the new building.
"We needed a parking garage at that location, but were concerned about a large parking garage dominating the street side at the largest volume traffic approach to campus," Martinson said. "Our campus planning group came up with the proposal that we use retail as liner buildings along Garland (Avenue) and Douglas (street) to provide a more attractive and interesting facade.
"We have interest in the Garland Avenue shops from several national retailers and will announce new tenants when we are able," he added.
Those new facades are covering up 1,500 parking spaces, spread across a six-level garage. For comparison, the surface lot at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Razorback Road can accommodate 1,400 cars, said Gary Smith, director of transit and parking at UA. Or, the lot at the Sam's Club store in north Fayetteville has roughly 700 spaces, according to city planning documents.
The bottom two levels of the garage will be assigned to university employees. The two middle levels will be metered for shoppers at the bookstore and the other retail outlets. Paid parking on these two levels will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. seven days a week, Smith said. The top two levels will be set aside for student parking.
Some spots are wired for electric car plug-ins, but the equipment has not yet been installed.
"We want to be ready for them in the future," Smith said.
Across the street from Garland Center is a majority of UA's campus housing. The idea to locate shopping where people live made sense, campus planners said.
"We have thought about Garland (Avenue) as an opportunity for both parking and retail for some time," said Jill Anthes, a campus planner at the University of Arkansas, who noted that as early as 2003 the area has been identified as the location for additional parking. "Of course, the number of students now living in the area greatly contributes to the viability of retail along Garland Avenue."
Moving the bookstore from its traditional home in the student union to a location on the edge of campus and offering so much more than just books and pencils positions the store to attract a lot more shoppers than only students, campus officials said.
The bookstore at Hendrix College in Conway is also moving into new digs known as Village Books. It's part of a new four-story mixed-use development where students live in apartments above the bookstore, said Mark Scott, director of media relations at Hendrix. The store is owned and operated by bookstore giant Barnes & Noble.
"It creates a mixed-use community where students can live with people who buy homes and they can all walk to these things," said Scott of the move to mix student housing among the downtown Conway neighborhoods.
"Along with serving customers in the Conway community with a wide selection of books, the bookstore will continue to sell college textbooks to our students," he said.
The idea of the university as a place to shop is a growing phenomena as the student demographic evolves as its own niche market with spending power.
"I think you have to be clever when you're marketing to students nowadays," Scott said. "Students are becoming a lot more sophisticated."
The retail spaces at Garland Center will be leased by the leasing agent Colliers International. However, the leases are actually with the university, said Martinson, who would not disclose lease rates.
"Lease rates are comparable to market prices for new, well located retail in Northwest Arkansas," Martinson said.
The 20,000 square feet of space is flexible so that a space can be as small as 1,000 square feet or as large as 6,000 square feet. Money generated from the leases will help pay off the construction bonds sold to build the projects.
By The Numbers
Garland Center Costs
Parking Garage -- $26 million
Bookstore -- $11 million
Retail -- $2.5 million
Total -- $39.5 million
Source: Staff Report