Building Bookstore Displays: A Collaboration Between University Fashion Students and Campus Bookstore to Develop Merchandising, Management, and Leadership Skills Through the Development of Visual Displays

Abstract

Through a partnership with the Fashion Promotion class, the students could help with the fashion merchandising and promotion in the bookstore. As a result, students were assigned a three-part Building Bookstore Displays Project. For each segment, a project worksheet was given to the student teams with objectives. Before beginning the project, the students and instructor visited the store together and received an orientation that included a tour and discussion of student expectations during the project. Project included display proposal, display execution and display presentation and analysis.The Building Bookstore Displays Project outcome exceeded the expectations of the initial plan, and the coordination of segments throughout the semester to complete one project that clearly made a positive visual change in the store windows, proved to be successful based on instructor analysis, store manager comments, and the sustained interest of the students