Two University of Washington students who had visited student bookstores at eastern colleges are credited with starting the University Book Store at UW. The original bookstore was located in a closet near the university president’s office. Financial challenges and increasing needs for space plagued the student-run organization, and a 1924 fire precipitated the bookstore’s move off campus to 4326 University Way. The Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) assisted with the incorporation of the University Book Store in 1932. As of 2019, the store continues to operate on University Way as an independent corporation owned and governed by a board of trustees that includes students.
Around 1940, the University Book Store printed textbook covers with an ad on the back and an image of the store on the front. The store carried a wide variety of goods from textbooks and clothing to camera supplies and recordings. It even had a repair shop for typewriters and adding machines.
Caption information source: University Book Store website: History.
Physical Description: 1 sheet : b&w ; 20 x 12 in. folded to 10 x 12 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv87750
Credit: MOHAI, John D. Whiteaker Collection on the Denny and Graham Families, 2014.81.56
