Rylee Crandall (right), Thrift Room manager, assists Christian Taber, resident director of Eisenhower Hall, from Cheektowaga, N.Y., and Krystyna Klos, a senior majoring in Adolescence Education: Social Studies and History, with a minor in Museum Studies, from Long Island, N.Y., as they browse clothes racks.
SUNY Fredonia students have taken to thrifting – picking up gently used items – at the new Thrift Room.
Since opening in early February, the Thrift Room, located near the loading dock at Eisenhower Hall, has offered an eclectic inventory of clothes, assorted shoes and room décor items that students can pick up at no cost.
It’s no surprise to Director of Residence Life Kathy Forster the Thrift Room has steadily drawn students since opening, including over 40 students on its Feb. 4 opening day.
“Thrifting is popular with our student-age group, and the idea of reusing and recycling and sustainability efforts are certainly popular,” Ms. Forster noted. She was certain that providing for the basic needs of students would be well received.
All items are free for students who are welcome to browse and take what they need. We will continue to improve and provide for the basic needs of our campus.” - Kathy Forster
Two students – Rylee Crandall, a junior Animation and Illustration major from Herkimer, N.Y., and Syd Lamberton, a junior Adolescence Education: Earth Science major from Pennsylvania – did the groundwork to launch the Thrift Room. They gathered and processed donated items during summer months or the fall term.
Ms. Crandall, who brings nearly three years of retail experience to the Thrift Room, manages the store. “I told Kathy that I would love to help her, and she said I could make it my own project,” Crandall recalled. She enjoys sorting through donations and arranging stock. “It’s very methodical,” she said of the way merchandise is displayed.
“I also like to see everyone coming; they seem to enjoy being here,” Crandall said. They like the variety of items, she added, “and mainly that it’s free.”
Forster was happy to appoint Crandall to operate the store. “She’s certainly into it, has definitely been an asset.”
A plan to open one central thrift store on campus was initiated in the Spring 2024 semester by residence hall directors, resident assistants and students living in residence halls. In recent years, some residence halls have set up individual areas where items donated by students could be made available to other students in need of them.
“This was becoming popular in more than just a few halls,” Forster recalled. “In an effort to keep the idea of providing basic needs more sustainable, it was decided to consolidate these areas to one hall and in one lounge.”
Donated items began to be collected and assembled on move-out day at the end of the Spring 2024 semester. A campus-wide call and inquiry to the Village of Fredonia seeking donations were also made, Forster said, “and we were delighted with the overwhelming response.”
So far, student demand has been strong. Sought-after items include comforters, sheets and pillow cases, towels and washcloths, hats, men’s ties, board games and assorted school and office supplies such as pens and pencils, notebooks and index cards. Recycling bags and grocery totes are also popular.
At a thrift store visit, a student was complimented on a pair of pants she happened to be wearing, Forster recalled, “and she said, ‘I got them at the thrift store,’ which was really, really nice.”
Days and hours of operation are Tuesday, 3 to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m., and Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“All items are free for students who are welcome to browse and take what they need. We will continue to improve and provide for the basic needs of our campus,” Forster said. A clothing swap, an event where students exchange their clothes with other clothes, will be held Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5. The hours will be determined.
Donations can be made when the Thrift Room is open, while a general solicitation for donated items will be made near the end of the semester, as students prepare to leave campus.
