Business: Gibson's Book Store MSU, 128 W. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing
Name: Dave Poquette, 49, owner
Time with business: Poquette's grandfather, Walter Gibson, opened the store in 1955 and Poquette took charge in the mid-1980s.
Background: Poquette grew up in East Lansing and now lives in DeWitt. He is also a coach for the MSU men's club rugby team.
Education: Poquette earned a bachelor's degree in business from Central Michigan University.
Family: Poquette is married, with two sons ages nine and 12.
The goods: The bookstore sells textbooks for Lansing Community College courses, as well as used reference books, textbooks and literature. Poquette said the store's clientele is made up of LCC students living in the downtown East Lansing area.
History: The store sold textbooks for MSU courses until 2000, when it became exclusive to LCC because of "too much competition" from other MSU bookstores. The store has two other locations — 316 N. Capitol Ave., in Lansing, and a store in Davie, Fla. that sells books for Broward Community College, as well as Gibson's Books & Beans coffee shop, 320 N. Capitol Ave., in Lansing.
Hours: The store is open from "about 10 a.m. to about 6 p.m." on weekdays. The store is closed on weekends.
Biggest part of the store's success: "We've been able to adapt," Poquette said. "We've transitioned from MSU texts and we do a lot of business with LCC and with Internet sales." The store operates online "stores" on eBay and www.Half.com.
Busy time of year: Poquette said the store's business will pick up at the end of the semester as LCC students sell back their books, but it won't be as chaotic as MSU bookstores.
Store staff: There are usually one or two employees working at one time, he said.
New features: The store now offers free coffee and a community space with wireless Internet for people interested in studying, reading or listening to records. Customers are asked to bring their own vinyl and mugs.
