Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, Calif., has opened a store-within-a-store in partnership with University of California Santa Cruz called the Banana Slug Shop. The banana slug is UCSC's mascot, and while Bookshop Santa Cruz has long carried some UCSC apparel, there is now a dedicated section within the bookstore featuring a wider array of merchandise.
In addition to shirts and hats, the Slug Shop sells UCSC-branded gifts such as magnets, pins, mugs, pint glasses and water bottles. Books that are related to upcoming events on the UCSC campus are also featured in the Slug Shop, and UCSC and Bookshop Santa Cruz plan to partner for more on-campus events.
Casey Coonerty Protti, owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz, reported that the Slug Shop came about after she heard the university was interested in having a bigger presence in downtown Santa Cruz. Protti reached out to the university with the idea for the store-within-a-store. In return for the bookshop hosting and running the store, the university pays a management fee.
"Not only are we now the official designated location in downtown Santa Cruz to sell UC Santa Cruz gear to all the students, staff, alumni and tourists who are interested, but we've furthered our partnership with the university for a number of other collaborations," said Protti. "Of course the management fee helps Bookshop Santa Cruz remain sustainable but more importantly, it gives us another reason to let our customers know that we are a one-stop shopping destination."
The Banana Slug Shop had a grand opening celebration on June 3. Santa Cruz mayor Martine Watkins cut a ceremonial ribbon, while the store offered customers free "Slug cookies," a free raffle ticket with a chance to win Slug gear and a coupon granting a discount on a book with a purchase of a Slug item.