The renovations to the university bookstore, which is now run by Follett Higher Education Group, have become official since the Grand Opening Celebration held Sept. 24.

Bookstore officials hosted the event to show the community new features it has to offer. There was music, craft making and a faculty author spotlight.

“We want to showcase the new products, the space and celebrate that Follett was chosen as Loyola’s bookstore provider,” Ivon Fascio, bookstore manager said.

The event was originally going to be held during the summer, but then bookstore officials decided to have it during the school year “to let everyone know we are here,” Fascio said.

The event was a joint effort by people on campus, such as Marcia “Cissy” Petty, vice president of Student Affairs and associate provost, as well as Robert Reed, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.

“It has been a process, but I’ve been working with Dr. Petty’s office and Mr. Reed to get their input,” Fascio said. “We wanted to make sure the grand opening involved all the groups on campus.”

Student involvement was one of the factors taken into consideration while organizing this event.

“It was a few weeks of gathering information and finding ways to allow for participation,” she said. “We’re just so excited to be here. We felt like it should be a day-long celebration, and we wanted to make sure we had something for all the groups on campus.”

The event was not intended to be so big, it just turned out that way, according to Fascio. As it evolved, they decided to add music as well as other aspects to be inclusive of the whole community.

“The idea evolved just by working with Dr Petty’s office, they let us know what things they would like to see and then working from there,” Fascio said.

In every store Follett remodels, there is always going to be a grand opening. This company has over 830 stores around the country.

Fascio is excited about Follett taking over since they have a lot to offer as a company.

“They bring their buying power and expertise of the bookstore business. We really have the giant part of the college market,” she said. “I think Follett is a great fit for Loyola.” We’re definitely going to give Loyola the attention they need, and I think Loyola feels like we have the buying power and the home office support behind us.”

Follett is always looking to improve. They introduced e-books this semester and will be looking to add a cultural element.

“There’s going to be more of a local focus and bring products that really highlight life in New Orleans, as well as maybe movies, video games and CDs,” she said.

Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]