Megan Murray (B.A., ’20) has always had a close, albeit nontraditional, connection to Colorado State University. That connection will get even deeper tonight when she hosts an Alumni Night Out event at her new business Bookstore On The Square in Fort Collins’ Old town.
Growing up in Fort Collins, CSU was always in the background of Murray’s life, but it wasn’t until she was a teenager that she got her first real introduction to it.
“I got my first job at CSU working for a professor doing research projects in Rockwell Hall,” she explained. “I’ve been a big fan of CSU ever since.”
When it came time for college, Murray started at CU Boulder but quickly returned to her hometown to enroll at CSU. The experience was good, but Murray says she felt a bit “directionless” at that point and decided to stop pursuing her degree. She moved to Georgia and started family. Having children in elementary school helped re-introduce her to that time-honored tradition of the Scholastic Book Fair. She volunteered with the book fair whenever it came to her local school district, and she loved seeing the children get excited as they combed through the selection and chose new books to read. It was then that she began gravitating back toward her love of reading and writing.
“After my youngest was born I knew I wanted to back into having a career and finishing my degree, so I began studying for an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree with CSU Online,” she said. “It was actually perfect because when COVID hit I was already online. It was a fun degree and gave me a nice, well-rounded understanding of the business side of being an artist and writer.”
In a nonfiction creative writing class, Murray was asked to write a story about a real event, and immediately she knew what to write about.
“I chose to interview librarians in Georgia who had started a bookmobile for their district,” she explained. “I interviewed the librarians, went to the schools they served, and talked to the kids. The story wound up being published in CSU’s Greyrock Review. It was very inspiring to me.”
So inspiring, that Murray decided to move back to Fort Collins and, with COVID on the decline, began operating a traveling bookmobile of her own.
“It was called ‘On The Road Bookstore’ and we did popup events, visited coffee shops, and festivals. I really loved it and in the spring of 2023 I decided to expand and have a brick and mortar store of my own. Especially after COVID, I think our communities need a place where they can come together, mingle, and get to know each other over stories.”
Opening the store has been a lifelong dream come true for Murray, and since the grand opening of Bookstore On The Square in September 2023, she’s been working on making it the best it can be. That means creating a warm and welcoming environment in the shop, having “shelf talkers” throughout the store that prompt customers to think about an idea or start a conversation with another patron, and making sure that the books she sells and the authors she features are representative of the entire community.
“My inspiration for this store was to feature marginalized authors so people can both see themselves and learn about other people and their stories,” she explained. “I think stories are an important part of human culture and can be both a nice escape from our lives and a way to better understand ourselves.”
There’s nothing like stories to bring together people, and that is exactly why Murray wanted to hosted tonight’s Alumni Night Out. The events are always a great chance to socialize with other alumni while supporting a locally owned business, especially one that features books, which are known to both stimulate conversations and build community.
“That’s something I like about the store – people come in and can discover a new book and a new relationship with someone,” Murray added. “It’s a very special moment because CSU has given me a lot over the years. Hosting the Alumni Night Out feels good to provide that space for people.”
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Tonight’s event is free, but registration is required. You can also check out other upcoming CSU Alumni Association Events
