Title: Cutting Community: Azzie’s and The Bookstore Move

Charlotte: In May of 2025, Oberlin College announced it would be closing down the Oberlin
College Bookstore located on Main Street. In addition, they announced the opening of a brand
new campus store to be housed in Azariah's Cafe in Mudd Center. Along with the location in
name change, they also switched partners from Barnes and Noble to University Gear Shop and
ecampusstore.com and altered the book ordering process to be fully online. The decision to move
the bookstore was met with great opposition from the students as it would be taking space away
from Azariah’s, also known as Azzie’s, an incredibly popular spot for students after the
announcement. A sit-in was led by Oberlin chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of
America, with many believing that the change promoted a bigger conversation of the dwindling
of communal spaces within the school. We, Charlotte,
Mackenzie: Mackenzie,
Oliver: and Oliver.

Charlotte: Want to reflect back on this months later and investigate into the reasons the bookstore
moved as well as what the impact has been on students. We talked to students and also posted a
survey to gather more information about their opinions on the campus store and its effect on
Azzie’s. The surveys we sent out got 15 responses, and it is important to remember possible
response bias from answers that we got. It's likely people only wish to respond if they have an
impassioned opinion. However, with that in mind, we still believe that it is important to see what
students we couldn't reach in our interviews had to say about the issue and back up our student
investigation with numbers.
We reached out to many members of Oberlin's administration, such as the Dean's office and
financial administration office, none of whom got back to our request for comment.

Oliver: Many disappointed students wish to know why so many changes were being made. In
their announcement, Oberlin stated that this came as a result of longstanding discussions with
faculty to modernize their system, making it easier to get course materials and ensuring
affordability for all students. The college's contact with Barnes and Noble College was ending
that year, and Oberlin chose not to renew. Barnes and Noble College is one of the most popular
companies to operate college bookstores. In 2025 alone, they announced partnerships with
schools such as Villanova University, Georgia Southern University, Xavier University, and
University of Denver. At the same time, it began partnerships with these new schools, it departed
ways with Oberlin. We reached out to Barnes and Noble for comment, but they have yet to get
back to us. According to Oberlin's statement, the decision to work with University Gear Shop
and eCampus, which are partners for other campus stores such as Trinity University, Stony
Brook University, and Manchester University, was built out of a study with faculty and staff, as
well as input from students. According to a student watch survey conducted by HigherEd Jobs,
students spend an average of $285 on their course materials, which is the lowest recorded in 16
years. This can be accounted for in the growth of online textbooks, a cheaper and for many, and
more convenient way to learn. This was one reason for Oberlin to switch to eCampus as it offers
more choices when ordering textbooks. According to Oberlin, eCampus has a price match
guarantee. Ensuring no student overspends on textbooks, a huge worry for many college
students. The move from Main Street to Mudd Library was what created a greater stir for
students. Oberlin said that the new location is convenient as it is in an active area of campus.
Notably, one student in our survey said they believed the downtown location was more
accessible for prospective students and their families. The old bookstore, which was much larger,
is now being used for other things. The original bookstore has now been converted into a space
for the cinema and media department, as well as occupying space for the new BA/ BFA program.

Mackenzie: When news of the closing was first announced, many students were outraged. Azzies
is one of the most beloved spaces at Oberlin located in the heart of Mud Library. According to
the college, the number of tables and seats did not change during the move. But many students
worried that the space would feel cramped and difficult to socialize or get work done in. Now
that the campus store has been in operation for a few months, we decided to ask students about
their current thoughts on the move and how the campus store has affected their relationship with
Azzie’s. We interviewed students just outside of Azzie’s and outside of Mudd on a Thursday
afternoon at the time, Azzie's reduced seating was packed with students and the baristas were
having fun playing and singing along to the Wicked soundtrack. Could you introduce yourself
and say what year you are?
Isla: I am Isla, I'm a third year.
Audrey: I'm Audrey and I'm a freshman.
Ava: I'm Ava, and I'm a first year.
Riley: I'm Riley. I am a third year.
Michelle: I'm Michelle. I'm also a third year.
Mackenzie: What are your thoughts on the bookstore's current location?
Riley and Michelle: I think it's ugly. I think it's in a bad location. There's a lot of merch just in a
space that a lot of students used to be in, and also not a lot of students buying merch.
Ava: I think it's a little strange because it feels like a fishbowl. I really like spending time in
Azzie’s and studying and I don't know, it feels too open and it's almost like, you're watching
people in the bookstore, like they're in a zoo. It's a bit strange.
Audrey: I don't really go in Azzie’s often, nor do I really go in the bookstore often. So to me it
looks silly. But beyond that, it doesn't impact me. I've tried to work in Azzie’s before and it just
didn't turn out that great.
Riley and Michelle: Yeah. I think the bookstore is like the face of the college, like people visiting
colleges go to the bookstore and it's just, it's not a good look for Oberlin. It was good where it
was.
Mackenzie: Has your experience with the bookstore changed? Do you go more or less often
now?

Riley and Michelle: I used to go for my job at the Sco, like you would get prizes for things and
that would be the only reason why I would go probably less since there's less chairs. I didn't go
there very much originally. I used to go a lot just to study with friends. And also when I was on
the meal plan, I would get an Azzie’s, yeah, at least once a day, either for the drinks or the food
and yeah. Now there's not a lot of seating and it's all been moved outside. I just really liked how
cozy it was. Yeah. It's less of a vibe. Now there's like a glass. Door or like glass wall, just kind of
there. It's unsettling.
Mackenzie: Our data had an even split between first year students and students who had attended
prior to the changes.
Oliver: Currently 60% of student respondents go to Azzie’s one to three times a week, 13.3% do
daily while 26.7% never go. For those at Oberlin prior to the move, 55.6% go the same amount
they used to while 44.4% go less than they used to. 55.6% said the loss of seats did not affect
how much they went while 44.4% said it did. 80% of student respondents think that Azzie’s
move is negative while 20% said they don't care. 0% of students said they believe the move is
positive. 53.3% of student respondents say they haven't used the new campus store while 46.7%
say they've used the new store, which is the exact same split when we asked if they used the old
campus bookstore for those at Oberlin, prior to the move, 44.4% go to the bookstore Less. 11.1%
go more while 44.4% go the same amount.
Mackenzie: When asked for specific reasons why students mentioned the general look of the
place to be unappealing and crowded. Another student mentioned that they wished the campus
store remained a bookstore rather than simply being a place for merch. Another student said they
believed having the bookstore downtown made it more accessible for prospective students and
their families. In our additional comment section, many first year students express
disappointment that they never got the opportunity to fully experience Azzie’s, saying that it
doesn't feel like a community space, rather just a place to get a drink to go. Since the college
bookstore was never super popular to begin with, it has been difficult for students to see it take
over half of Azzie’s, one of the few communal spaces on Oberlin's campus.
Charlotte: While there is no single reason for the closing of the bookstore, one can presume the
changes in partnership, a need for space for the BA/BFA program and budget cuts led to the
decision. In our research on students, we have learned that students still feel very passionate
about this issue. Whether it's upperclassmen who missed the way Oberlin used to be, or first year
students who wish they had the experiences that were promoted to them while touring. Overall,
many fear for a loss of communal spaces within the college.

Oliver: We wanna give credit to The Oberlin Review, whose articles we use for research into our
group members, Oliver Medlin, Mackenzie Lyons, and Charlotte Lefkowitz. We also wanna give
credit to Ben Sound for using their music in this podcast. We want to credit Charlotte Lefkowitz
for her photo use on the website.

Music: https://www.bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: R2MPWHDWODY4R5KR
Artist: : Lunar Years