Bookstore Bob Leaves the Building

Rooted in the far corner, a leafy green plant has grown nearly across the office, curling around a large ticking clock, and hugging framed photographs a proud father has mounted on the wall. It keeps going, its stem and leaves circling the desktop monitor, dangling just beneath the ceiling. Below it sits its owner, “Bookstore Bob” Somers, mustachioed manager of the UMBC Bookstore. He brought a much smaller, nearly-dead version of the plant with him when the shop moved to The Commons from the University Center 16 years ago. “I thought I’d kill it right away,” he says, with his… Continue Reading Bookstore Bob Leaves the Building