Pittsburgh’s newest
Barnes & Noble Booksellers hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 13 on
Duquesne University's campus.
The store is one of more than 600 national locations of the Basking
Ridge, New Jersey-based
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, a
privately held sister company to Barnes & Noble. Located at 1015 Forbes Ave. along the university’s main corridor, the two-story book store houses a Starbuck's café, meeting spaces and group and individual seating. In addition to serving as the university's one-stop shop for textbooks and supplies, the 18,000-square-foot store also carries general reading titles, gifts and magazines.
Store manager John Kachur, who did outreach to local businesses in Uptown, says the shop has already drawn patrons from
Mercy Hospital and the
Marriott. "Once Downtown gets a concentration of residents and Uptown grows,
we'll have the opportunity to be a part of something very big," adds Kachur, who plans to add outdoor plaza-style seating at the store this spring.
The store's opening included a meet and greet with local authors Todd DePastino, Dr. Jona Hammer and Stuart P. Boehmig, who signed copies of their newest books.
The Barnes & Noble is housed within Duquesne University’s new $35 million Power Center, a 130,000-square-foot multipurpose facility that also features an 80,000-square-foot recreation center, 7,500-square-foot ballroom,
Jamba Juice, and
Red Ring restaurant. Duquesne's first new construction in 20 years, the Power Center was built as part of the university’s 10-year comprehensive master plan.
The Power Center is expected to receive LEED certification at the Silver level.
DRS Architects designed the five-story project. Contractor was
Jendoco Construction Corporation.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Rose Ravasio, Duquesne University; John Kachur, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers
Image courtesy Duquesne University