Clothing sales, birthday cake, door prizes and even Cy were on hand to celebrate with the Iowa State University Bookstore.

The Iowa State University Bookstore, along with the Ames Chamber of Commerce, held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday to celebrate its grand opening after its recent renovation and expansion. The event doubled as the store’s 135th “birthday.”

“It’s just a chance for us to celebrate our expansion and remodeling project, and we have another reason to celebrate — that we’ve served students faculty and staff for 135 years,” said Amy DeLashmutt, marketing manager for the bookstore.

Although Tuesday wasn’t the bookstore’s actual “birthday,” DeLashmutt said they chose the date because they wanted to wait for students to get back and the faculty to get settled.

 “I think it is more organized, where to find the items, clothing and books,” said Stefan Tauber, alumnus, said of the remodel. “I’m actually in architecture so I like the whole redesign. The new bookstore makes it more visible and easy to access, especially for new students who come to Iowa State.”

Tauber said he liked the set-up, and he thinks it’s smart to put the clothing items next to the entrance, which helps to draw people in and is good from a financial standpoint.

“We were finally at a point where we couldn’t wait any longer, we just had to have a little more space,” Lynette Seymour, store director, said of the recent expansion which nearly doubled its square footage.

The renovations also allow for all the retail to be on one floor, which DeLashmutt said she thinks makes shopping a little easier.

“This is really an exciting time for the bookstore, we’ve actually in the 135 years we’ve upgraded out of closets in multiple buildings,” Seymour said.

The bookstore was established in the 1800s, in a small room in Beardshear, then moved to the Hub in 1892, and was at that location for 66 years before moving to the Memorial Union in 1958, according to its Web site.

In the early 1990s the store expanded by converting basement warehouse space into the art department. The recent renovations filled in that staircase, and the space is again being used as warehouse space.