The Campus Book Store across from the Memorial Union is a thing of the past, and Alpha Copies will soon to move to West Ames. At that time, the building which housed those two businesses will be entirely vacant. Certainly, the building is in a prime location and will be in high demand. I have a modest suggestion for what kind of business should be installed. What the ISU community needs is a Campustown grocery.

It is certainly true that there are already two supermarkets located on each end of Lincoln Way, both easily accessible by bus. Given that, what I am not advocating for is another large food store, but a small specialty food outlet. Students living on or just off campus would benefit from a grocery store within walking distance where they could pick up a variety of essentials quickly and easily. The greek community and those living in the neighborhood south of Campustown would also be able to take advantage.

Of course, business interests should do the necessary research to determine if there is a demand for such a grocery store. No doubt the potential profitability needs calculating. However, it seems to me that such a business may well fill a void in Campustown and I would encourage people to look seriously into the idea.