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Renovations revitalize USF Bookstore

The USF Bookstore’s cafe reopens today on the first floor following the completion of major renovations. 
ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

 After completed renovations, students will find the USF Bookstore turned upside down this week.

Since the bookstore’s construction in 1997, this is the first time it’s undergone a large renovation.

A major change is the bookstore’s cafe, which is scheduled to reopen today in its new location on the first floor. Previously located on the second floor of the bookstore, the cafe will now have more seating inside, along with a newly constructed concrete patio for outside seating.

Nick Fagnoni, general manager of the bookstore, said the renovations are meant to revitalize the store and its outside area. 

“We just wanted to give it that pop again,” Fagnoni said. “When you haven’t touched something in 17 years, it gets worn out. We just needed to update the look … When students come back in the fall, we want to give them something to be really excited about and a new experience.”

The rest of the first floor is dedicated to university merchandise, while the fiction and non-fiction books has moved to the second floor. 

“There has been so much demand for more school spirit merchandise,” Fagnoni said. “We needed a lot of space to put in all of our options we wanted for students.”

Due to the limited amount of space on the second floor, however, there will be fewer books available than before. 

Fagnoni said along with the opened up cafe, the smaller space upstairs presents a niche bookstore feeling and the bookstore could become more of a hub for student life. 

The downstairs cafe is equipped with AC plugs and USB chargers by each of the eight-person tables. Prior to the renovation, the upstairs cafe’s mezzanine fit only two person tables.

Fagnoni also said the relocation of the cafe could allow for later hours, but there have been no finalized details.

Some remaining minor renovations, including a desk on the second floor to pick up textbooks ordered online, are scheduled for completion by the end of July.