GW Campus Store

Not a bad bookstore. I’ve seen some larger ones out on the west coast (Go Pac10 schools), but it suits my needs for grad school. Make sure you go early for your books, or they might run out.
Finding the bookstore can be a bit rough, since it is located in the basement. If you enter from 21^st St, stay way left to head down the stairs. Entering from H can be a bit tougher winding through the food area before finding a way downstairs.

As a non-​GW person, entering this store can be like enduring a hail of GW paraphernalia (rightly so). But I was determined to find a duffel bag or backpack and this is the closest retail to my workplace. The store is in the basement although I think the sign says «1» on the Marvin Center signs. The store is much larger than it looks, with basic books up near the front. In to the left is a level of hodgepodge of books, knickknacks, clothes etc. It’s a little confusing and you really have to search around every stand to see if you can eyeball what you are looking for. I am delighted to see that they sell «the first laundry backpack» which is an oversize backpack. Great idea! I don’t have anywhere to haul my laundry but I was tempted to buy one just for the spaciousness. Too bad about the mesh sides, and lack of fashion colors. I guess that will be coming next.
I did manage to find backpacks (Northface) on the stairwell down to the third level of the store (who knew?). They were not what I was looking for. I then went back upstairs and started my inspection of every shelf and bin in the store. If I wanted an old school style leather shopping bag emblazoned with the GW logo, I’d have been set. As it was, I was surprised to see bags all over the store, instead of in one place. What if I missed something! Eventually I did find what I was looking for. It was hiding behind some other bags and had no price tag, no label of any kind. But the anti-​theft doohickey still had its tooth entrenched in it. I had to wait at the checkout as a manager went in search of a price. The checkout employees were a mix of bubbly and borderline comatose/​rude (guess which one I got). As I said, this is one of the few shopping places in the Foggy Bottom area reminding me again of why I hate monopolies.