Jim Williams loves his job. As general manager of the University bookstore for the past 32 years, Williams has seen a lot of changes in the industry. On Sept. 24, the organization will undergo another big change when it officially becomes known as “The Duck Store.”
On the surface, students might not notice any change other than the store’s name, but Williams says the idea behind The Duck Store is a reflection of the store’s mission as well as the deep connection he (and hopefully his customers) feel to the University.
About a year and a half ago, Williams began developing a plan for the future direction of the company. Part of that plan included the possibility of a name change that would tie the main bookstore to the “Duck Shops” located around Eugene and the state. He turned to branding company Cappelli Miles.
“I said, ‘OK, now how are we going to be successful into the future?’” Williams said.
Over the past several years, the store has seen most of its sales turn to products other than books. Williams said that while the store remains above all else an academic retailer, the term bookstore was no longer an accurate description of what it does.
Just 28.5 percent of the store’s sales come from textbooks; 26 percent comes from the sale of technological products such as computers, cameras and software and 30 percent comes from sportswear.
Even books may soon become a thing of the past, as e-books are becoming more popular, Williams said.
Williams likes to compare textbooks to vinyl records.
“We’ll ask people what do these two things have in common?” He said. “The answer is that they’re both going digital. The textbook is going there quicker now than maybe people realize.”
Cappelli Miles conducted surveys of bookstore customers and employees to help the bookstore come up with a new brand image. In the end, they recommended renaming the company The Duck Store.
In part, this name is a way to connect the main store to the “Duck Shops,” Williams said. The surveys found that many people had no idea the Duck Shops were a division of the bookstore, and the company wanted to tie those stores together, particularly the ones located in Portland and Bend.
Williams said The Duck Store not only ties the store and its satellite locations together, but reflects what he says is the strong pride people feel in being a Duck.
“The idea of being a Duck is something that’s unusually strong. It resonates with people,” he said, adding that the feeling is not limited to being a sports fan but is a feeling that he thinks is shared among the entire University community. “Once a Duck, always a Duck.”
New logos for the store are an attempt to tie all the store’s departments together, Williams said. The departments will now be known as the “Literary Duck” (books), “Digital Duck” (computers and technology), “Creative Duck” (art and school supplies), “Spirit Duck” (athletic apparel) and “Duck Stop” (coffee, food, and anything else that doesn’t fit the other categories).
“People will look at The Duck Store as being this all-encompassing store that is not about any one thing we do, but is about everything we sell and everything we do,” Williams said.
Williams said people who just hear the name “bookstore” might not realize the store sells so many other products. He hopes the logos, which will be on the store’s windows, will give customers a better idea of what the store does.
Professor James Terborg, who serves on the store’s advisory board, said he is “100 percent” behind the name change and said it does not change the mission of the store. Terborg said the store has always existed to serve the needs of students, faculty and staff, but agreed that the term bookstore is not an accurate reflection of everything the company does.
When the rebranding process began, Williams said, he considered the name “the knowledge store,” as a way of emphasizing the store’s academic focus. While that name was already taken, the concept behind it – a store where people can not only purchase products but also learn about them through services such as guest speakers – is one Williams would like to implement.
In the future, customers who buy new computers at the store will be able to sign up for a seminar on how to use them; when the store gears up for the 2008 Olympic Trials, it may offer classes on health and fitness.
Senior Dan Feldman is the president of the bookstore board. He also said he wants to see the store “adapt to the changing environment” by focusing on all its department.
“It’s getting the word out to students and making them realize how great the organization is and how much the organization is working for them,” he said.
As the store continues to evolve, Williams hopes it will retain its image as a company focused on serving the University.
“There’s a major heritage and uniqueness to our organization that’s not really replicated by very many other college stores in the country,” he said. “For me personally, working at the University of Oregon Bookstore has been a passion, has been a calling, has never been a job. I didn’t realize that when I first took over, but shortly after that I realized I’m really one of the lucky people in the world who really loves what I do and what we do as an organization.”
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