Upon walking through the atrium of the Kimball Arts building, fresh coffee can be smelled in the air, leading students to the Art Elements store. This store is known primarily for art supplies, and is also home to the Daily Rise Coffee Shop. However, Art Elements is closing its doors on Jan. 31 due to lack of funding for Weber State University’s bookstore.
Deborah Uman, the dean of the Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities, said that the Elements store shares finances with the bookstore and ultimately had to close due to the bookstore losing money. Uman said that the department tried to keep funding available but wasn’t able to.
“The business side of the house [Weber State] said sorry, we really cannot afford this. We are making cuts to other areas of the store as well, so that it is no longer a drain on expenses,” Uman said.
Gavin Jensen, the director of WSU’s campus store, and Ryan Stewart, director of enterprises, released a statement letting students know where to purchase art supplies, as well as expressing their appreciation to their community and employees.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude to our loyal customers, dedicated employees and the community for the support you have shown us throughout the years,” Stewart and Jensen wrote in their statement. “We are committed to providing quality products and services for our campus community by serving you the same range of goods and services, including art kits, will continue to be managed through the Wildcat Store in the Shepherd Union Building.”
Lindsey Merritt is an Art Elements Daily Rise employee and is disappointed in the store closing. Meritt spent a lot of her time at the shop in between classes.
“I have such a heartfelt connection to it,” Merritt said. “Because of this, this ultimately is the reason I was able to graduate as quickly as I was. I was drinking a copious amount of espresso every single day. I was here for like 12, 13, 14 hour days, every single day.”
The Daily Rise employee’s are able to apply to other jobs on campus, such as the main bookstore, but Merritt said that she is one of six baristas looking for a new job.
“That should be their number one priority, their students and not their shareholders,” Merritt said.
