July 28, 2014
Approximately 100 people gathered on the sidewalk of Monroe Street on the morning of Monday, July 28, to witness the opening of one of the anchor stores of Monroe Street Market - Barnes & Noble at The Catholic University of America. Based on the comments at the ribbon cutting ceremony, the new, larger bookstore is not only exciting for faculty, staff, and students at CUA, but also for neighbors in the surrounding community."Catholic University and Brookland, we both grew up together," said Larry Morris, general counsel at Catholic University. "We have matured together without boundaries," he said, noting that the University is not fenced off from the surrounding community. "This bookstore is great for both of us. Scholars need books, but books are not just for scholars, so this store will be a natural mixing point. It will also confuse people even further about the boundary between CUA and Brookland - which is good for both of us."The regional manager of Barnes & Noble College, Len Scoggins, echoed the sentiment. "A good college bookstore serves to meet the academic course materials and supply needs of faculty and students. Great bookstores serve to do so much more, and today we open a great bookstore to service The Catholic University of America and the neighboring Brookland community."In addition to administrators from Catholic University and representatives from Barnes & Noble, two staff members of Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie also attended the grand opening of the store, which replaces the bookstore that was housed in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.
The bookstore at 625 Monroe St., N.E., is the newest addition to Monroe Street Market. It features Catholic University spirit-wear and textbooks, along with a large selection of fiction, non-fiction, reference, and children's books. A café is also included in the space and will open soon - serving Starbucks coffee, along with ready-to-go snacks, sandwiches, and baked goods.Elizabeth Augustine, a stay-at-home mother who lives in the neighborhood, remarked that she is very excited for the opening of the bookstore. "I'm happy to have a coffee shop nearby and my family is a big fan of story time," she said. Tom Scalfaro, a junior biomedical engineering major from Lansdale, Pa., said he can see himself spending more time at the bookstore. "Integrating the bookstore into Monroe Street is great. With the general reading section and café here, this is a lot nicer," he said. Recent graduate Ryan Sanford, B.S. 2014, agreed with Scalfaro. "I'm really jealous I didn't have this as a student," he said. "This is such a big space and there is so much more general reading and a huge area with CUA-branded merchandise.""There is a greater selection across the board," said Kyra Lyons, executive director of alumni relations. "It's a full one-stop-shop and I'm happy for it to be open. All the changes on Monroe Street Market are providing a great reason for alumni to come back to campus and see what's new."The following events will continue the grand opening celebration through the coming days: