Partnership with Follett Brings New Campus Retail

A new collegiate store will soon join the busy cluster of shops and restaurants along Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, serving the UW Tacoma campus and surrounding community.

UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange recently announced that an agreement has been signed between UW Tacoma and Follett Higher Education. Follett will open and operate the UW Tacoma Shop at 1754 Pacific Ave., in the ground floor of Garrettson, Woodruff & Pratt, one of the iconic buildings on the UW Tacoma campus. The store will also have an online presence.

Follett Higher Education will be UW Tacoma’s new partner for distribution of course materials and textbooks to students. Follett, the largest campus retailer in North America, operates physical and online stores for more than 1,000 college and university campuses in the U.S. and Canada.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with Follett,” said Chancellor Lange. “Affordable, equitable access to current, high-quality course materials in formats from print to digital is at the center of our educational mission. With the UW Tacoma Shop, Follett will be an important part of our ability to ensure the success of our students.”

“Follett’s innovative approach to campus retail, e-commerce capabilities and course materials affordability will build the foundation needed for a successful higher education experience for UW Tacoma students,” said Ken Pegram, vice president for western retail operations at Follett.

Follett is already working on the design of the UW Tacoma Shop, and an opening date will be announced soon. The store will operate in the space previously occupied by the University Book Store, which closed its physical presence on Pacific Avenue in January 2023.

“Follett creates impressive retail spaces that exude campus pride, excitement, connection and achievement — and that’s precisely what UW Tacoma and the surrounding community will experience at the UW Tacoma Shop,” said Emmanuel Kolady, Follett Chief Executive Officer. In addition to course materials and text books, the physical and online store will offer UW and UW Tacoma-branded merchandise, apparel, technology, general books and other categories of products relevant to the collegiate community.

Follett also operates stores at 14 other public and private higher education institutions in Washington, including Pierce College, Bellevue College, the Seattle Colleges, Seattle University, Gonzaga University and Washington State University.