Torero store to move across campus

OLIVIA LOUGEE
ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Torero Store at the University of San Diego is currently undergoing changes and will be moving locations on campus.

The bookstore, currently located in Loma Hall, will be moved to a new building that will be built between Frank’s Lounge and the Student Life Pavilion, SLP, offering a more modern store with technological advances.

With the change in full motion, the bookstore has already condensed in size and half of the store has been closed off.

According to Jim Thrailkill, the interim director and operations manager for the USD Torero Store, the anticipated date for building to begin is as early as this November. Thrailkill explained that the move is necessary, but is also an upgrade.

“We’re moving the store because the School of Engineering is expanding and we have to relocate,” Thrailkill said. “The new store will be more modern, and have a more traditional exterior.”

Thrailkill also believes the store will invite more people in with the store’s new location in the heart of campus.

Along with technological and modern changes, Information Technology Services, ITS, will also be relocated from its current location near the One Stop Center to the new bookstore.

The specifics of the technological advances are still under budgetary consideration and are yet to be set in stone. However, employees and students who have learned about the proposed advances are excited to see them come to fruition.

Wayne Machado, customer service supervisor at the store, is enthusiastic about the upcoming changes.
“I’m excited about the new design,” Machado said. “We’re building the bookstore of the future, so there will be more technological advances and it will be better for the students.”

Employees at the bookstore have witnessed these changes and expressed their views about the relocation and transition currently underway.

Stephanie Benjamin, a senior and an employee at the bookstore, explained what it is like to witness the current changes at her work.

“The experience of moving has been difficult because things are constantly being moved around,” Benjamin said. “So when customers ask where something is, it is confusing and it was easier when things were spread out.”

Despite the frustration of the moving process, Benjamin thinks the move is a positive thing.

“Even though I won’t be here when it’s completed, I think the move is a good idea because it’s a better location with easier access and more space,” Benjamin said.

Senior Andrea Gabbard, who also works at the Torero Store, has similar feelings about the recent changes.
“Although the move is necessary and a very good thing, within the store it is very stressful,” Gabbard said. “It takes a lot of work to move a store.”

Another bookstore employee, junior Jordan Colson, is excited about the upcoming changes.

“The bookstore will be awesome because it will look more modern and just be an overall improvement,” Colson said.

Since the School of Engineering is expanding, engineering students also have differing thoughts about the move of the bookstore from Loma Hall to Plaza Menor.

Junior and mechanical engineering student Rachel Stein looks forward to the upcoming changes and expansion of her school.

“I’m really excited about the engineering school’s expansion and I’ve heard about some of the plans and they sound really cool,” Stein said.

However, Stein will miss having the bookstore in the same building as her classes.

“I’ll miss the convenience of snacks and sodas, but because of where it is going, it will still be pretty close,” Stein said.

Senior Emily Woesle believes the change, though hard to adjust to, is positive.

“As a senior, I am sad to see the store being moved,” Woesle said. “While I will miss the old store, I have faith in the plans for the new location and the transition period I can imagine will just be difficult for people to navigate through.”

Junior Sunny Choi was surprised upon learning about the store’s upcoming move.

“I didn’t know the store was moving until I went in the beginning of the semester to buy my books and there was a sign saying it was moving locations,” Choi said.

Choi also believes the move is a good change.

“When I first came to USD it took me a while to find the bookstore,” Choi said. “I think the move is a good thing because the new location will be closer and not so hidden.”

Along with the Torero Store moving, the Mail Center, which was previously located in Loma Hall, has also relocated to a building behind Maher Hall, known as Maher Annex.

According to Thrailkill, the anticipated completion of the new Torero Store will be at the end of June, in the summer of 2016.