Recently Closed Textbook Retailer Integrated With Ned's Bookstore

Campus Textbook Exchange on Bancroft Way has closed after 30 years and has been replaced by an expanded Ned's Bookstore.

The textbook exchange, which sold new and used books, was located next door to Ned's, another popular store for students to buy textbooks.

But the store's owners, Barnes & Noble, closed the store Friday because it did not fit into the national retailer's business plan. Barnes & Noble owns hundreds of similar stores on college campuses in addition to its larger retail outlets. But most of the bookstores are the main on-campus store for students to buy textbooks.

UC Berkeley, however, is one of three campuses where the bookstore is located off campus and is not the primary retailer.

Barnes & Noble was unable to manage the book exchange as successfully as its other stores across the country because it was not part of their standard business model, said Ned's store Manager David Edmondson.

When Barnes & Noble decided to close its store, it called Ned's to see if they wanted to use the location, Edmondson said.

"We accepted because we could definitely use more space for textbooks, clothing and school supplies," he said.

Edmondson plans on moving the clothing and school supplies to the new location from Ned's Den, which is presently located behind the Wells Fargo ATMs at Sather Lane.

The Den's lease will end in July, but the store is moving into its new location now, Edmondson said.

He said the Den's former location was concealed by the ATMs and not ideal for retail sales.

"We now have more space and better space," he said.

Because the textbook exchange also supplied other Berkeley campuses with textbooks, Ned's will now sell their books as well.

The bookstore will keep the exchange's large Vista College section, along with its management of Boalt Hall School of Law textbooks. The law school will continue to sell its books at that location.

Since it took over last week, Ned's employees have been working hard to prepare the store.

"Hopefully having more space will help make Ned's less confusing and crowded," said Ned's employee Liz Woiwode. "It will be a better store for students."

The closing of the textbook exchange leaves students with only the ASUC Student Store and Ned's Bookstore to choose from when buying textbooks locally.

"At first it may be difficult for students to cope with only having two options to buy textbooks," said employee Katie McCann. "But Ned's has always been there for the students first. We offer them free candy."

Many loyal customers of the Campus Textbook Exchange said they were disappointed by the store's closing.

"I always bought my books there," said first-year UC Berkeley student Brian Roth. "It's a real shame because I thought they had the best prices in town."

While new textbooks cost the same at all stores, Ned's prides itself on having competitive prices on used books, and will meet any used book price, said Woiwode, an employee at Ned's.

The closing of the textbook exchange will not only affect Berkeley students but also previous employees of the store.

About 50 percent of the employees from Campus Textbook Exchange will carry over to Ned's, said textbook exchange manager Ken Peterson.

"A majority of the cashiers who carried over won't be used until buy-back time," McCann said. "Textbook selling and buying is a seasonal industry."

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