New Campus Store Opens at the Heart of Campus
Reimagined space in Mudd Center debuts alongside updates to Azariah’s Café and the Library’s Academic Commons.
September 4, 2025
Stephanie Manning ’23
Oberlin's Campus Store opened August 21, in time for move-in day for first-year students.
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko
The Oberlin Campus Store welcomed the first guests to its bright new home at the center of campus in August. The first-floor space inside Mudd Center—adjacent to the popular coffee spot Azariah’s Café and Terrell Library—replaces the former College Bookstore on College Street.
The new location stems from two new Oberlin partnerships intended to deliver a modernized, hybrid approach to offering course materials and branded merchandise in a central location on campus. eCampus.com is the school’s official online textbook retailer; University Gear Shop (UGS) operates the Campus Store and provides Oberlin apparel, spirit items, and supplies. The partnerships resulted from an extensive study led by a committee of faculty and staff.
In late spring, faculty and students began using eCampus.com to select and order their textbooks for the first time. Within a week of ordering, course materials arrive at the Campus Store, pre-bundled for easy distribution.
Our students love Azariah’s and the vibrant community and connections they foster through Terrell Library’s Academic Commons. The Campus Store expands upon and adds to the great energy in the space.” —Dean of Students Karen Goff
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko
The store’s expanded selection of apparel and accessories features updated designs and a variety of options, with plans to include more conservatory-specific items in the near future. Apparel and other merchandise also can be found on the Campus Store website.
“The Campus Store is all about serving the needs and interests of our students, and our new location and new partnerships with UGS and eCampus.com allow us to bring this access closer to the center of campus,” says Vice President and Dean of Students Karen Goff. “Our students love Azariah’s and the vibrant community and connections they foster through Terrell Library’s Academic Commons. The Campus Store expands upon and adds to the great energy in the space.”
Azariah’s and the Campus Store are separated by a transparent partition, which accommodates their differing hours of operation and lends an open feel to the space while allowing natural light into the store. In addition to its permanent home in Mudd Center, the Campus Store will host pop-up shops at signature campus events, bringing gear and other items closer to event sites.
Relocating the Campus Store frees up the former bookstore space on College Street, which will be redesigned as a hub for Media and Integrated Arts studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Responding to Student Input
Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko
During the Campus Store design process, Student Senate leadership participated in feedback sessions with Oberlin’s Office of Facilities Planning and Construction. They discussed suggestions and concerns regarding placement, environment, and accessibility.
Among the students’ priorities: ensuring that seating at Azariah’s remains plentiful. Updated seating options now expand beyond the doors of the café and into the Academic Commons.
Another student request: more charging stations, which are now in place throughout Azariah’s and the Academic Commons.
“The Student Senate appreciated the opportunity to contribute,” says Lily Gonzalez ’26, Senate President for 2025-26.
“The committee members were receptive to hearing our feedback,” adds Gideon Hurtado-Sher ’28, Senate’s Vice President of Student Life. “I’m excited for the new and more accessible textbook options.”
Just outside the doors of Azariah’s, in the “Readers’ Row” area of Terrell Library, new high-top tables will join iconic mid-century modern furniture arranged in groups to invite socializing. Books by Oberlin authors and popular magazines are now displayed in Readers’ Row, with additional periodicals relocated to the bound periodicals section of the library.
Numerous upgrades to the Academic Commons were also completed over summer: new carpet, furniture, a relocated Reference Desk and CIT Help Desk, and the addition of new “Duo Pods”—curved study carrels that seat two.
For additional information, including frequently asked questions, please visit the bookstore page on Oberlin.edu.
Stephanie Manning is a freelance writer based in Cleveland. She earned a degree in bassoon performance from Oberlin Conservatory, with concentrations in Arts Management and Journalism.