The Huntley Bookstore is turning a new page. After leaving its home of 51 years, the store settled into a temporary location on the first floor of Honnold Mudd Library, reopening to the public Feb. 7.
In 2020, Claremont Graduate University received a gift of $14 million to buy the bookstore’s space at the corner of East 8th Street and North Dartmouth Avenue, just west of the library. CGU will use the building to establish the new Yuhaaviatam Center for Health Studies, a multi-disciplinary health research center serving vulnerable populations in the Inland Empire and Indian Country.
The Huntley will remain at its current location until it can be housed in the 7Cs’ new student center, which is yet to be constructed. The new student center will “serve as a new hub for student activity on campus and provide a centrally located home for the Huntley Bookstore and select student services” according to The Claremont Colleges Services.
In the meantime, TCCS said, “students can expect the same services they have come to know from the Huntley Bookstore. The new location will continue to provide textbook services, school supplies, and house the campus Apple Store. Campus apparel will be available through an online kiosk with in-store pick-up.”
The Huntley’s founder Earl W. Huntley opened the space as the first cross-campus bookstore for all students at the Claremont Colleges. Prior, there was only one bookstore, which was reserved for CMC students.
“It’s a sad move in some ways, because the Huntley Bookstore has been [at the old location] since November of 1969,” Chris Becker, the Huntley’s manager, told TSL via email. “But I’m happy we’re keeping Mr. Huntley’s name and that legacy that he started so so long ago.”
The bookstore’s new location will offer most of the services available at the previous location, according to Colin Tudor, interim vice president for administration of The Claremont Colleges Services.
“The only modification in the way the services are provided is that, at this time, apparel will be available to be ordered online with pick up in-store and not on display on the sales floor,” Tudor told TSL.
Becker said he hopes the bookstore’s eventual location in the new 7C student center will bring students and faculty together as the consortium’s “centerpoint.”
“Right now, Monsour, chaplains — they’re all scattered across campus,” he said. “There’s really no central location for the students.”
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