Lee’s Bookstore was bought out by DORKS Books on August 1, 2012. The name change that most students noticed this semester followed the buy-out.

According to Brad Faulkner, owner of DORKS Books, there was no rush to rename the store since Lee’s Bookstore already had a good reputation in Valdosta.

When DORKS opened in Valdosta, changing the name was the least of Faulkner’s worries. The DORKS team had 15 days to get the store ready for the Fall 2012 semester.

Typically, the company prepares four or five days in advance.

Aside from selling and renting books, students now have an option called a financial aid deferment. Financial aid deferment lets students get their books ahead of time if they can prove they’ll be receiving financial aid later.

“Basically, we let them take the books, we keep their information and on Feb. 1, they have anytime up until then, to come back and pay for those books,” Faulkner said.

If DORKS doesn’t currently have the book a student is looking for, the student can request a DORKS employee to order it and have it shipped to the store usually between one to two days.

Anyone can take advantage of the DORKS books services, not just VSU students.

“We do novels, we have several distributors and publishers, we can get just about any book, whether it be textbook novel, whether it be Mark Twain, Twilight series, or ecology,” Faulkner said.

Through the Georgia Open Records Act, any public institutions are required to release public information, so as soon as the bookstores gets the list of books they will be selling each semester, DORKS Books gets that same information.

Faulkner along with his cousin Trevor started Dorks Books in September of 2006. They now have nine locations in 8 different cities across the state.

DORKS has been members of the chamber of commerce in different cities and they also are involved with different ministries on campuses and churches. While DORKS is still new to Valdosta, they are open and looking to help in the community.

“I’m really thankful to be here, it’s a great opportunity and I hope that we can serve you guys and be a big part of the community here,” Faulkner said.

“It’s great to help students out and unlike a campus bookstore, we try to stock old editions and stuff like that, because you know a lot of times between the fifth and sixth edition nothing much changes except the color,” Stephen Hulsey, DORKS employee, said. “So it’s fun to help students out in that way.”