Video courtesy of WCTV, Riley Holsinger

The Waynesburg University community is buzzing about the new campus store, The Nest. 

Located at a previous on-campus house, 84 Wayne Street, the newly renovated store offers a variety of Waynesburg clothing and apparel as well as a place to hangout. So far, the store-which opened the first week of school-has received positive feedback.

“I was really excited,” said Demaree Livingston, freshman nursing major. “I think it’s a good addition to campus, and it’s just a cool way to rep Waynesburg around school.”

Stacey Brodak, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and University Relations, said the newly renovated campus store has been in the works since last year. 

After receiving feedback from faculty and students, Waynesburg decided to divide the bookstore into two sectors: a virtual bookstore managed by Follett and an in-person campus merchandise store managed by an off-campus business, Direct Results. 

“The feedback was that they wanted more variety and they wanted maybe some different options and a variety even in pricing,” Brodak said. “And so those things were really important to us as we looked at building a new campus store.”

The Nest, however, is more than just a campus store. 

“It’ll be a great hangout space for students to gather [and] to have fun,” Brodak said. “As much as we love to see our students studying, we also want them to have a place to go and have fun and gather together.”

The fully furnished campus store will include an upstairs game room, lawn games and more. Students, however, will have to wait until the store’s grand opening in October to see the fully finished project.

Brodak said the grand opening will also unveil the story behind the project and the great connections that made the campus store possible.

According to Brodak, the story includes legendary Coach Rudy Marisa, former Waynesburg College men’s basketball coach. Not only are the owners of Direct Results and campus store managers, Pam and Kent Marisa, related to Coach Marisa, but one of Coach Marisa’s former athletes assisted with funding the project.

“We were very fortunate to have a donor that expressed interest,” Brodak said. “It was a former student, an athlete that played for Coach Marisa and he wanted to help honor Coach Marisa in some special way.” 

More details about the donor and his relationship to Coach Marisa will be shared at the grand opening in October. Until then, students can shop The Nest’s new burnt orange and black merchandise.