The Washburn Bookstore will be undergoing a name change starting this semester, officially becoming the Ichabod Shop.

The store will be adding more clothing and gift items and all of the signs will be changed to say Ichabod Shop.  All of the signs are being re-made by UMAPS, Washburn’s mail and printing service.

The process of changing the name started last year, when bookstore director Kay Farley met with a program review board to discuss the challenges and successes the bookstore was having. From there, the board decided that a name change would be beneficial.

“Last spring, we met with Jones Huyett Partners, which is a local Topeka advertising agency,” Farley said. “They sent out surveys, and eventually narrowed their list to four possible names. The name was decided by student input.”

Another big addition to the new Ichabod Shop is a distribution agreement with Apple. The technology company would host a link on the Shop’s web-page that would allow students, faculty, and staff to buy Apple products at their educational prices. Apple’s educational prices are approximately $100 cheaper than standard prices.

“The media with which people are learning is changing, Farley said. The teaching model is evolving. We hope this agreement with Apple will grow.”

Farley believes the bookstore will thrive and avoid extinction by changing its name to the Ichabod Shop.

“Are we building ourselves to be an albatross or a dinosaur by staying a bookstore?”  “I’m thrilled by this change; it can only be good for everybody.”