A History of the Lower Columbia College Bookstore, courtesy of
, Bookstore Manager. See Bookstore.
1960s
The Lower Columbia College Bookstore began in a small room in the Library in the Main Building. The exact year is unknown, but it may have been early sixties. The first manager was Vera Leese. The Bookstore moved to the old Student Center in 1967.
1971
Dorothy Gauthier took over as Bookstore manager, replacing Vera Leese.
1972 - 1979
The Bookstore moved to a temporary location in a portable by the Main Building. The old location became the Game Room.
Over the next decade, the Bookstore was rumored to be moving to the Main building when the Library vacated their space. When it was decided to locate the Art department there instead, there was talk of putting it in the new Alan Thompson Library. Once again, the space was needed for other campus departments. There was even a rumor that the College planned to purchase the mortuary on the corner of Washington Way and Maple Street so the Bookstore could occupy the basement. Much to the relief of Bookstore staff, McDonalds purchased the building and tore it down! Throughout the seventies, enrollment continued to increase and Bookstore staff ordered books and merchandise to fill the need.
The beginnings of the LCC English as a Second Language (ESL) program came from large populations of Vietnamese immigrants who began arriving in Longview in the mid-seventies.
1979
Dorothy Gauthier retired and Roger Clausen began a short tenure as Bookstore manager. The College enjoyed a new CETA program which brought many new people to campus.
1980
Roger Clausen left and Evelyn Hoole became manager. The Bookstore was cramped for space and in 1980 an addition, built by students in the College's Construction Technology program, was added to the portable building.
1990s
The Longview/Kelso area experienced a downturn in the forest industry, leading to many job losses when the Reynolds aluminum plant closed in 1991. Many people came to the College for retraining. The TRA program for retraining was started. Vocational fields of study including Electronics, Welding and Automotive gave way to a demand for tools necessary for the trades. The Bookstore began carrying more items. During this time the College partnered with Linfield College to offer classes on campus. Space needed for additional textbooks and supplies was scarce.
1993
The Bookstore moved into its current location in the newly constructed Student Center. The textbook area was set-up to reduce purchase errors and theft. The new store had enough room to carry gift items.
1995
The Bookstore entered the computer age with a Point-of-Sale System.
1997
Evelyn Hoole retired. Under her leadership, the store was put on solid financial ground. Debbie Cleveland was promoted to Bookstore Manager, after serving 17 years as Evelyn's assistant manager.
1998
A textbook ordering program was installed.
1999
New cash registers were installed to help streamline business.
2000
The Bookstore became the campus central supplier. It was hoped that when staff purchased office supplies, they would purchase additional items in the Bookstore as well.
2006
The look of the Bookstore changed as each section was remodeled.
2010 and the future
The past forty years have brought tremendous changes to the bookstore industry. Book prices have sky-rocketed, from an average textbook price of $10 in the 1970s, to over $100 today. Publishers continue to publish new editions in an effort to ward off the sale of used books. The Internet brings many options to consumers. Electronic books and free 'Open Source' titles early in the century changed the face of textbooks and college bookstores more than at any time in history.
However, students continue to appreciate the Bookstore's search for used books in the wholesale market, in addition to store book buys.
Keeping abreast of industry trends is a must if the Bookstore wants to remain a viable part of the campus community. It is with great anticipation that we move into the 21st century.