Gifts for Home with a Collegiate Flair

Home Décor Merchandise at College Stores

At college bookstores nationwide, home décor items are often a part of the merchandise mix. In many cases it is a supplemental area, however, with stores focusing more on apparel items, small souvenirs such as stickers, and of course, textbooks.

In Boise, Idaho, at the Boise State University Bronco Shop, Store Manager Ally Cronin reported that home décor items include a variety of different clocks. “They’re all unique. We have one made from a wine bottle, a chrome finished clock, and a black one. I also have a wine and wine glass caddy with the Bronco head and our logo on it. That is also made from wine barrels.” Each of the items have the school logo or the Bronco head and logo.

According to Cronin, the store sells more of this merchandise due to display. “I was a visual merchandiser before I came here, so I always merchandise very carefully. That’s important with these items. We also have them on our store website.”

The location of Cronin’s store draws “everyone, alumni, students. These items are reasonably priced but more geared to alumni,” Cronin said. “The largest wine barrel clock, which is handcrafted is $195; the other clocks are in the $30 to $40 range, and the wine caddy is $39.95.”

There is a second Bronco Shop location, Cronin’s is downtown, the other is on campus, where some additional items are carried. The Bronco Shop online store has a variety of additional home décor items including a small cheese board and knife set with a Bronco football on the board; coasters created by Julia Gash, depicting many aspects of campus life from buildings to sports teams; Boise State picture frames; twin bedding sets in the school’s colors with the Bronco head logo; kitchen towels; and a Bronco logo throw rug.

At The Maverick Store located at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo., General Man- ager Andrew Connolly related that “Home décor is not a massive category for us. It tends to be more about items such as CMU logo blankets and throws.” He noted, “They sell very well for us seasonally, in the winter and fall, or when there’s an evening football game.” The 7,500-square-foot store also offers “Desk accessory items, such as business card holders. While

Gifts for Home (From page 57) some of these items are being purchased by alums, most are purchased by students and parents. Parents make a lot of purchases,” he said.

Connolly added that there is a reason for alumni sales being not as strong as they might otherwise be. “We have a big alumni base, and we reach them. But we changed the name of our institution, so that alienates some people.”

In 2011, the Board of Trustees and the State of Colorado renamed the institution Colorado Mesa University to reflect the school’s growth, which today includes over 10,000 students.

Connolly related that the store also sells diploma frames. “The frames are our most popular décor-type item for alumni, and those can be done in the old name as well, but we cannot stock them that way.” The store also offers drinkware such as glasses and ceramic mugs with the school logo, name, or Mavericks team logo.

He noted that in the past, the store sold more elaborate décor items such as clocks, but those items did not do well at the store. Online, The Maverick Store also offers wooden signs with the school’s name and school colors.

To sell any of the décor merchandise Connolly now carries, he relies on display and social media. “We use cross merchandising for display as well as having a separate display area by category. We also display these items in our store windows. We use social media if we are promoting around holiday time, seasonally, or for graduation.”

In Centralia, Wash., at the Centralia College Bookstore, Bookstore Manager Amanda Witt explained that “The majority of what we sell is textbooks and clothing. We sell some coasters, shot glasses, wine glasses, mugs, and blankets, but we do not offer a lot of home décor items.” She noted that “We display these items cross-merchandised attractively, but there’s just not big sellers for us.”

Both students and alumni buy these items at the rural campus, as do parents who are shopping for students.

In Olympia, Wash., Heather Schofher , store manager at The Evergreen State College Greener Bookstore, offers a range of small décor items, but by far the strongest seller are “Posters from Cavallini. Students just love those and buy a lot of them.” These posters have a nostalgic, vintage design that can be used to frame, hang up using the company’s Vintage Poster Kit, or just pin to a wall, they can also be used for crafts or as gift wrap. “Most students buy them and just hang them,” Schofher said. They’re made from high-end

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