EKU hopes to terminate the contract and move on as soon as possible, Whitlock said. In a few weeks, somebody either Wallace's or EKU must find the cash to buy back students' used textbooks, then order new textbooks for the summer and fall semesters. Wallace's apparently doesn't have. The industry has fought off a challenge from Internet textbook dealers. Textbooks remain the largest source of revenue, but other profit leaders are emerging.
Observers scratch their heads.
The numbers certainly got our attention,'' she said. Wallace's is a privately held company and doesn't share much information. Dramatic growth During the 1990s, a growing number of colleges hired management companies to run their bookstores. All of them picked up stores and grew throughout the decade, but none at a more dramatic rate than Wallace's, which went from 22 stores in 1992 to 93 stores earlier this year. Wallace's won many of those contracts by promising high returns, which it might have found unaffordable in the long run.