Norris Center Bookstore is no longer the only textbook store in town.
Beck’s Book Store at 716 Clark St., which opened May 9, began selling textbooks this quarter, breaking up the monopoly the Norris Bookstore had in the market. Beck’s carried books for about 600 courses this quarter.
Norris Bookstore was the only textbook store in Evanston until the Chicago-based Beck’s moved in. The Student Book Exchange gave Norris some competition before closing its Sherman Avenue location in late 2002. Another bookstore, Great Expectations, 911 Foster St., closed in 2001, citing competition from chain stores and the Internet.
Weinberg freshman Debbie Lu discovered the store last week and dragged some of her friends along to compare prices Monday. She admits she didn’t save that much by choosing Beck’s instead of Norris. But any money saved makes it well worth the trip, she said.
“It was still really expensive,” Lu said, after purchasing books for her math and chemistry classes. “I’m still spending a lot of money on books, but I’m still saving.”
Beck’s carried the used textbooks Lu wanted, while Norris only had the new versions in stock. She estimates that she saved $35 by shopping at Beck’s.
Beck’s is slightly smaller than Norris, with about 3,700 square feet of retail space compared with about 4,000 at Norris. Its book selection is also notably smaller. Some professors still chose to sell their class materials directly through Beck’s .
Susan Piagentini, professor of music theory and ear training for the School of Music, has always tried to save her students time and money.
“For years I always used (Student Book Exchange) because it was across the street, and for students it’s sort of a win-win,” she said.
Proximity to a big campus pushed store owners to move to Evanston, said store manager Natalie Kasputis. The store will serve an alternative to Norris, she added, emphasizing the differences between the two competitors.
“We have a few more used books, a little more variety and a different clothing section,” Kasputis said.
Similar to Norris, the new store subdivides its books divided by subjects such as religion, history, chemistry and economics. Sweaters, notebooks and other NU souvenirs are available at the entrance.
But it is unlikely that Norris will employ gimmicks or cut prices to keep students’ business, Norris Bookstore General Manager Linda Fish said. Prices are controlled in corporate offices, not the store. Fish said she is confident the store will continue to attract students.
And the campus bookstore is doing well despite increased competition. Fish said she hasn’t seen a drop-off in business since the Fall Quarter rush began. Check-out lines at Norris Bookstore stretched to the back wall as the hours leading to the first day of class inched closer. Students filled their shopping baskets and left bookshelves bare.
“If anything, our business is better,” Fish said. “The students are really coming in.”.
Fish became the general manager of Norris Bookstore in December 2004 after serving as the area manager for the Chicago branch of Rand McNally Map and Travel Store. She faced stiff competition working at the store’s Michigan Avenue location, with several other travel goods stores setting up shop within walking distance.
“To me competition is normal,” Fish said. “It’s more surprising when you don’t have any competition.”
Easy access and habit will no doubt keep some students at Norris. Weinberg sophomore Lindsay Wood said she might check Beck’s to save cash, but the books her classes require aren’t terribly expensive.
“This is really convenient,” she said of Norris. “I’m not in classes like science, which would make me want to look for cheaper books.”
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