With author events, musical performances and appearances by the university mascot and Santa, over the weekend, the Fairfield University Bookstore, Fairfield, Conn., celebrated its fifth anniversary in the site of a former Borders store downtown, the Fairfield Citizen wrote.
When the Fairfield Borders closed in 2011, Fairfield University opened in the space and moved its textbook services there. Managed by Follett, the store also sells gear for several public and private local high schools and has a Starbucks Café. The school kept its on-campus bookstore, but it no longer sells texts. The University provides shuttles to take students to and from the downtown store.
Special events coordinator Nancy Quinn said that the store is a draw that brings students downtown to visit it and other businesses and makes it easier for town residents to participate in university events. The bookstore participates in downtown merchant events, does local school visits, has exhibited public school students' art and hosts local musicians in the café.
Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau said, "We are looking for ways to continue to grow our partnership with Fairfield University. I think it's critical to the future of our town in this very competitive and turbulent economy. We need to use every resource we have, and Fairfield University is a great resource in terms of making our town more competitive, more dynamic and valuable to businesses and residents."