By Garlands, Christmas lights and shopping baskets full of gifts for the whole family filled the University Bookstore on Nov. 15 for this year’s Holiday Open House celebration.
As a part of the annual tradition, this year’s celebration welcomed students, alumnus and the greater Long Beach community to shop the discounted merchandise with free hors d’oeuvres, a caricature artist and a photo booth.
The sale included a 25% off discount on all merchandise in the store excluding tech. There were also some items throughout the store that were up to 75% off.
Shoppers who spent above $50 received a free gift dependent on the monetary tier of their purchase, ranging from plushies, goodie bags, mugs and higher value items like Long Beach letterman jackets.
The event also honored and celebrated the University’s 75th birthday, with archival photos, yearbooks and a book signing featuring author and faculty member Barbara Kingsley-Wilson for her coffee table history book, “Long Beach State at 75” for attendees to peruse.
A faculty member at Long Beach State for 20 years, “Long Beach State at 75” is the second of Barbara Kingsley-Wilson’s book titles featuring CSULB history. A self-described lover of local history, Kingsley-Wilson’s recent release documents Long Beach State’s history decade by decade. Photo credit: Julia Goldman
Kingsley-Wilson’s book reviews the notable developments, controversies, accolades and people within the university’s growth across 75 years, through archival history and interviews with core community pillars.
While some shoppers scoured each subsection of the store with shopping baskets in hand, some attendees stopped to chat amongst each other, enjoying refreshments and hors d’oeuvres like charcuterie bites that floated around the bookstore.
Others lined up to get their photo taken at the photo booth with the elusive Elbee or have their essence drawn by caricature artist, Micheal Garisek.
Ashley Ulloa and Christy Cardoso, two friends and coworkers at the Outreach department on campus, chat while getting their caricature portrait drawn. The two both came from work to attend the bookstore’s open house together on Nov. 15. Photo credit: Julia Goldman
The event, according to Rosa Hernandez, the associate executive director of administration for the Beach Shops, is really a way to launch the holiday season and welcome back alumni and the Long Beach State community.
The University Bookstore falls under a division within Beach Shops organization, which is a nonprofit auxiliary of CSULB, according to Hernandez. Within this partnership, all funds the bookstore generates is returned back to the university – either through physical allocations, scholarships or donations.
Though the classification may currently consider them as separate entities, Hernandez said the bookstore concept has always existed within the history of the campus.
“The 75th anniversary is also special for the bookstore. It’s intimate for us, for what it means for us to be here for 75 years,” Hernandez said. “Clearly, a lot has changed, but the commitment to the university is strong.”
Luis and Jill Toth have been married for 58 years. 84 and 83 respectively, the two said that they share a daughter, who currently teaches in the Theatre and English department at CSULB. Photo credit: Julia Goldman
Attending the event, with a basket of Long Beach State emblazoned sweatshirts in the Beach Family section of the bookstore was Jill and Luis Toth, who said that they attend the open house every year.
An alumnus herself, Jill graduated from The Beach in 1995 after transferring from Cypress College.
Within her shopping basket full of sweatshirts, Jill said she had picked out one for herself and another for their grandson, who is graduating from high school this year and will soon be going to college.
“We hope to influence him,” Luis said.
On the upper level of the bookstore, attendees pose with festive props alongside the university’s mascot, Elbee, on Nov. 15. Photo credit: Julia Goldman
Responsible for the outreach toward alumnus and greater “friends” of The Beach community for the event was Director of Alumni Engagement, Noemi Guevara.
According to Guevara, the bookstore’s open house has been an annual tradition for over 30 years, with extra celebrations this year for the 75th birthday of the university.
Though the bookstore’s open house won’t pick up again until next year, Guevara said they are planning to host a Long Beach State night with the Anaheim Ducks in February.
Guevara encourages people to keep an eye out for that event, and future ones at their 75th anniversary celebration website, csulb.edu/75.
Editor’s note: Barbara Kingsley-Wilson is one of the faculty advisors for the Long Beach Current.
