The new Penn Bookstore at Sansom Common, 36th and Walnut streets, opened July 15th and is rolling out its red carpets.

"We are ready for the rush," said bookstore General Manager Dwyane Carter. "It has certainly been a challenge making this move, but it has been two years in the works and we have done a lot of planning."

Already, the store is 19 percent ahead of last year in the number of books stocked, Carter said. The new bookstore combines the best elements of a full-service academic bookstore with the amenities of a Barnes & Noble superstore, according to Marie Witt, Penn's interim vice president for business services.

Also up and running is the Computer Connection, accessible from the bookstore and from Sansom Street.

By the end of 1999, Sansom Common also will feature a 250-plus room Inn at Penn and a new roadway connecting to Chestnut Street -- Steve Murray's Way. A grand opening block party to celebrate Sansom Common's official opening is planned for Sept. 10 (see photo and party details in What's On).

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