One of the biggest problems college students face is the high cost of textbooks. Students can easily spend hundreds of dollars on books every semester.

Business student Garrett Love has provided a cheaper alternative. Last spring he started his own business, called Love Book Sales or LBS. A semester in advance, Love collects the schedules of students who contact him through Facebook or a friend. He fi nds their books for about 15 percent cheaper than the Washburn Bookstore.

“My fi rst semester [at Washburn], one of the biggest issues was buying textbooks,” said Love. “Everyone would gripe and complain but nobody would do anything about it.”

During his second semester he started conducting research about starting his own business. He contacted more than 20 wholesale bookstores nationwide to fi nd good deals. Love also registered LBS as a small business and had to fi le taxes. A problem he encountered was that although Topeka banks thought his idea was good, nobody had ever tried it before, so he had to go back to his hometown of Montezuma, Kan., to get approved for a loan.

Love juggles many activities with LBS. In addition to his studies he is on the student government, is a student ambassador and a desk assistant and is a member of the Student Athletic Council and the Washburn men’s basketball team.

“I have to pay more attention to managing time than the average college student,” said Love.

Though Love insists on keeping his prices low for students’ benefi t he plans to grow his business. He started somewhat of a franchise at K-State and also plans to look into different schools. His highest customer base has been about 80 and next semester he hopes to be able to help more students by recruiting some help.

Nicole Perkuhn has used LBS for two semesters and has taken advantage of the savings it offers.

“It obviously varies with the classes you take, [but] you’re still going to save money,” said Perkuhn. “LBS cares aboutyou, looks for the best deals, and makes college more manageable.”