By SUSAN JONES
In the not too distant past, the ground floor of the University Store on Fifth was crammed with textbooks and other materials students needed for their classes.
But those days are gone and so are a lot of the print books, which left a pretty big empty space next to the Center for Creativity’s Workshop. It’s now the new Panther Den — an area anyone can use during store hours as a study or gathering space.
“We had this idea for a space downstairs for a while that we wanted to be more student focused,” said Monica Rattigan, executive director for retail and logistic operations for the Office of Business, Hospitality and Auxiliary Services. Student surveys often noted the lack of spaces to study or meet up, she said.
When the store partnered with Lululemon this summer, it “triggered a fairly large sales floor move,” Rattigan said, and led to the redevelopment of the downstairs space.
They added comfy chairs, a leather couch and long tables to work at. The support pillars have been covered in whiteboard paint, so you can write on them.
“It’s definitely student focused, but I think event-wise, we’d love for our faculty and staff to start using the space for events as well,” said Victoria Costa, an assistant buyer for the store.
The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence used it for a meeting this summer, and an annual meeting with small businesses that want to do business with the University was held there and included a tour of the store.
Rattigan said they’d like to bring the book signings and readings they host back to the store. Since the pandemic, many of those events have been in other locations on campus.
The room can hold around 65 people for an event, and has seating for about 30. Holding an event at the store is free during store hours, but there may be a fee to staff an after-hours event.
Sarah Kwiecien, the store’s technology and supplies buyer, said it could accommodate two to four student groups at the same time, with the pillars creating some separation.
The last Friday of the month, she hosts Panther Pixels with vintage video games. “I bring in a different console every month. This month is a Sega Genesis. I’ve had many students tell me that they’ve never even seen this before. So at three o’clock the last Friday of every month, we play. I’ve brought in Pong computers to play on, and it’s part of engaging kind of the cozy gamers on campus, and not so much eSports, but cozy come in with your roommates. Gaming is social. Do something together.”
Rattigan said they might expand the space next summer, since it’s proving popular.
There’s also a small bookshop with general fiction and nonfiction, children’s books and book-related gifts.
“Hopefully the students can discover the books they want to read at the same time that they can get the books they have to,” Costa said.
The other service they offer is a concierge textbook purchasing experience. “Students come with their class list, and we have students and other workers who pull the books for the students. They’re having peer-to-peer conversations about what resources are helpful for the class, because many of our student (workers) have taken these classes,” Kwiecien said.
This can help save the student money, because they can get used or rented books, and “it also allows for us to make sure students have the correct book,” Kwiecen said. For instance, “All of the Japanese language books have the same cover. There’s just different numbers on the side. Very challenging.”
“Whatever we can do to get the student the material they need and the way they will get the most success out of it is how we’re going to do it,” Rattigan said. “That’s why we have so many options of digital imprint. And AI is a big driver that as well.”
The University Store on Fifth is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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