After being closed to the public for more than a year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Washington University Campus Store transformed its look and feel this summer in one of the many efforts the university is undertaking to welcome students, families, alumni, faculty and staff back to campus for the start of the school year and the upcoming commencement and bicentennial celebrations.
“We have many reasons to celebrate this fall,” said Karen Zinn, GW’s associate vice president of business services. “The start of an in-person academic year, alumni returning to campus to attend graduation on the National Mall and, most of all, honoring 200 years of history as we close out our bicentennial year.
“What better way to partake in all of these events than by wearing your GW buff-and-blue and bicentennial gear?”
The “refresh,” as Janet Uzzell, the store manager, put it, is designed to reintroduce the store to returning students while welcoming shoppers who are new to campus.
“We are putting our best foot forward and getting ready for an influx of shoppers, whether this is their first time in the store or they’ve been coming here for years,” Ms. Uzzell said.
In addition to an expanded assortment of merchandise as families dropped off their students for the year, GW-branded Lululemon clothing will be coming to the store in mid-fall. The new line-up is in direct response to feedback from students, parents and alumni who have asked for the modern athleisure line. “Leggings are a college staple for students, and I am excited we are able to partner with Lululemon to offer GW-branded athleisure,” said Leslie Ogus, licensing and trademarks manager.
The store itself “looks fresher,” Ms. Ogus said, with new lighting and GW-themed graphics as well as brightly-painted walls and new flooring to carry buff-and-blue and “Raise High” themes throughout the store.
