The UConn Co-op celebrated the grand opening of its new Health Center Bookstore Thursday, drawing a crowd that spilled out into the hallway outside its new first-floor location.

Phil Austin, interim vice president for health affairs, congratulated the students whose push for a new student lounge led to the relocation and renovation of the Co-op. The lounge has been upgraded and expanded to include the ground-floor space that had been occupied by the bookstore until late this summer. The new Co-op has an additional 500 square feet of retail space.

“It was really a collaborative effort getting the Health Center working together with the Co-op in putting this project together” says Co-op division manager Dirk Fecho. “We’re really happy to be able to present this bookstore, which is what we feel the medical, dental and graduate schools really deserve.”

The day also marked the eighth anniversary of the Co-op assuming the management of the Health Center’s bookstore. Festivities included live music, refreshments, raffles, discounted merchandise, and an appearance by Jonathan the Husky mascot.

“The new space is significantly nicer and certainly bigger than it was before, and I think it helps make a nice statement for the Health Center,” says Co-op General Manager and President Bill Simpson. “We finally have a store that I think reflects the quality of the institution and the mission of the institution.”

The new lounge and new bookstore, along with a new student parking lot, are the primary changes made for the benefit of students this year under the leadership of Health Center Chief Administrative Officer Carolle Andrews and Dr. Suzanne Rose, senior associate dean for education.