THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007
NEWS
3A
》 BUSINESS
Pier 1 Imports reverts decision to close
After liquidating merchandise, store opts to keep its doors open
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Pier 1 imports, 3211 Iowa St., advertised it would be going out of business this month. Later, the corporate office decided to keep the Lawrence location open.
BY MATT ERICKSON
Two weeks ago banners outside of Pier I Imports, 3211 Iowa St., announced that the store was closing. But now, a sign in the window says "Now accepting applications."
Earlier this year, the store's employees heard from the Pier 1 corporate office that the store would close on April 15. But at the beginning of this month, the employees heard a different message; the store would remain open.
Now, after the store sold nearly all its merchandise, and even many of its shelves and light fixtures, and many of its employees found new jobs, the store must essentially start anew.
Kristen Byington, Lawrence senior, has worked at Pier 1 since 2003. She said the store would start
re-stocking on Friday.
"Pretty much right now, the back half of the store is completely empty," she said. "We do have some of the shelves still up."
Byington, an assistant manager,
said all but three or four of the
store's employees had left or would
leave soon. She said that after she
heard the store would be closing, she
decided she wanted to use the summer to look for a full-time job after graduating. Now she will leave Pier 1 at the end of the month.
She said both employees and customers were surprised by the news that the store would stay open.
"Business has been pretty slow because a lot of people thought that we were closing," Byington said.
The following profiles ran incorrectly Wednesday
Name:
Morgenstern
Name:
Jarrod Morgen-
stern
Coalition:
Delta Force
Seat: journalism
Hometown:
Major: journalism; strategic communications
Year: junior
Favorite KU tradition or memory:
Hawk Week during my freshman year
Favorite Lawrence place: Stauffer Flint Hall
Political role model: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Name: Kirsten
Hooqstraten
Coalition: United
Students
Seat: fine arts
Hometown: Kansas
sas City, Mo.
Hoogstraten
Hooogstraten Year's sophomore
Major music education
Favorite KU tradition or memory:
Playing the alma mater at the basketball games with the men's basketball band. The sound of thousands of fans singing is indescribable.
Favorite Lawrence place: Au Marche
Political role model: Kathleen Sebelius
Name:
"Hopefully, over time people will realize that we're staying open and they'll come back in."
Whitney Rogers, Pier 1 public relations coordinator, declined to comment on the reasons for the decision to keep the Lawrence store open.
Name:
Scott Toland
Coalition:
Independent
Seat: CLAS fresh-
man/sophomore
Hometown: iola
Toland
"I can tell you Pier 1 continually reviews new and existing store locations, to make sure we're operating as efficiently as possible," Rogers said.
Toland Year: freshman
Favorite KU tradition or memory:
Basketball games
Pier 1 hired a new CEO, Alex Smith, earlier this year. According to a release from the company, Pier 1's sales last year fell by 8.6 percent from the previous year, though sales during the month of February rose 14.3 percent from the year earlier.
Favorite Lawrence place: Allen Fieldhouse
Byington said she had been told the company's new CEO decided to save some stores the company had planned to close.
Political role model: N/A
Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@ kansan.com.
Edited by Jyl Unruh
"This is an issue that's intertwined with everything we care about," he said.
KENNEDY (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
he chose to pursue safeguarding the environment
He was also critical of President Bushs administration, saying that in seven years the Bush administration has been responsible for a large number of environmental problems.
"This is the worst environmental White House we've had in all of history, bar none," Kennedy said.
He said in 1988, President Reagan's administration abolished the Fairness Doctrine which required U.S. broadcasters to report news of public importance, devote time to all sides of political opinion and promote local control of news.
Because of that abolishment, Kennedy said the U.S. public hasn't received adequate information about issues like global warming.
"We know more about Kate and Tom than we do global warming," he said.
He said corporations that have close ties to the government have also snuffed out environmental issues because the issues could keep the companies from making larger profits.
"Polluters make themselves rich
David Burchfield, Shawne sophomore, asked Kennedy a question at the end of the lecture about a case Kennedy was involved with in Ecuador.
The tribe asked for help from the Natural Resources council, of which Kennedy was an integral part.
The case would have guaranteed an indigenous Ecuadorian tribe royalties made from oil drilled on their lands by the Conoco company.
The case fell apart and some authors blamed Kennedy for the result.
by making others poor," he said.
Burchfield said when he pressed Kennedy for a clearer understanding of the issue, he didn't get it.
"His explanation was entirely too simple to explain something so complex," Burchfield said.
He said he still enjoyed the lecture but accused Kennedy of changing his stance throughout the speech.
The event was sponsored by Student Union Activities.
Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@ kansan.com.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
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THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
want to get involved on campus?
The Board of Class Officers is looking for class representatives for next year.
Get Information Wednesday April 18th in the Governor's
All KU students are welcome!
For more information email Ryan Northup at kuryan85@ku.edu or Murtaza Khan at thekhan@ku.edu.
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funded by:
SENATE
INSIDE INDIA
Learn about the culture of India through dancing, free henna, and testimonie A FREE Indian Dinner will follow Guest Speaker: Mahasweta Banerjee Dept of Social Welfare
The University of Kansas Emily Taylor Women's Resource Cancer & The Commission on the Status of Women
Thursday, April 12th at 6:00 pm Relays Room, Burge Union Sponsored by AIESEC
PRESENT
Recognition
April 12th, 2007
PAID FOR BY KU
Program
Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
Big I2. Room, Kansas Union
Dr. Barbara Atkinson, M.D.
Executive Vice Chancellor, KU Medical Center and Executive Dean, KU School of Medicine
RECEPTION FOLLOWING
GUEST SPEAKER
It takes just one minute. You pay over $700 in student fees each year, so your vote directly affects YOU!
The 2007 "Picture the World" Photo Contest is over.
Come and see all 100 fabulous entries in the Kansas Union Gallery on display now through April 18th!
ELECTIONS COMMISSION
Find the link online at www.ku.edu,
vote on Wescoe Beach OF at Mrs. E's!
STUDENT SENATE ELECTIONS VOTE TODAY UNTIL 4 p.m.!
ABWA
KU Chapter CARWASH Saturday, April 21 $^{st}$ from Noon-4pm Wal-Mart Lawn & Garden Center $^{31st}$ & Iowa
Have your car "professionally" washed!
American Business Women's Association
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Listen to and participate in a dialogue between religious leaders about how reproductive rights and spirituality interplay
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Where: The Kansas Room in the Kansas Union, KU
When: Tuesday,
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Joe Posnanski
Kansas City Star Sports Columnist
"Best Sports Columnist in America"
by Associated Press Sports Editors
Kansas Union Pine Room
The Soul of Baseball
Tuesday, April 17
7:30PM
The Dole Center of Politics Student Advisory Board
PRESENTS:
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Future of Stem Cells"
Join Gov. Holden and his guests
May Scheve, Missouri House
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4:00-5:30 p.m. tonight at the Dole Institute of Politics, KU's West Campus Free Lemonade, Cookies, and Parking!