As we regain a sense of normalcy post-COVID, campus will resume where it left off. Though many things remain the same as before the pandemic, inevitably there will be some permanent changes within the school.
For the sake of accessibility, the Free Store, which had previously been located in the basement of Park Region, has been relocated over the summer. The Free Store is now located in Knutson, directly above the dining center.
The Free Store was originally an initiative created by the Student Environment Alliance in the spring of 2015. For lack of a better space, it was implemented in Park Region with the intentions of being a resource for all students to use at any time. During the pandemic, to help control the spread of the coronavirus, a new policy was implemented that only allowed students who lived in residence halls to have access to their own hall. Because of this policy change, only those who lived in Park Region were able to access the Free Store.
The limited access to the space, along with its location and lack of advertisement, meant that the Free Store was not a widely known or used resource during the pandemic, and in order to promote the use of the facility, the Eco Representatives decided that the store should be relocated to Knutson.
Concordia’s Sustainability Coordinator, Gabrielle Lommel, compares the Free Store to a thrift store, but “unlike a thrift [store]… everything is free, donated by students, staff.”
From clothing to cookware and decorations, the Free Store provides a wide assortment of goods to students at any time of day, at no cost.
The store is also maintained by students and staff, and the responsibility of collecting and organizing the goods falls to the Eco Representatives for each on-campus residence hall, along with the Eco Representatives’ coordinator, Mariana Martins. Donations can be dropped off in any Free Store drop off bins across campus or brought directly to the Free Store.
Since the relocation, the Free Store has gained momentum quickly. Martins expresses her excitement for the shift, noting that “it feels more a part of the college environment, and anyone can go there.” She is not alone in this sentiment; Lommel agrees, stating that the Free Store is “much more accessible…every time I walk by it there are students in it.”
Accessibility plays a key role in the purpose of the Free Store, which is to provide resources to all students. This is a remarkable resource for students with limited finances and for students with urgent needs, as well as anyone who would like to promote sustainable lifestyles by using the available second-hand goods.
Yuden Dorji, the Sustainability Program intern, also notes how important it is to have foot traffic near the store, and she’s observed that “People just pass by there and [notice] there’s a Free Store and go in.” With higher foot traffic, Knutson has given the store more exposure to the student body, and as more students utilize it, the store has much more potential to be advertised through word of mouth.
Lommel notes that along with word of mouth, the sustainability staff will be working to advertise in new ways around campus in the near future. Martins also described the Eco Representatives’ plans to continue flushing out organization within the store and decorating the outside of the store to attract more attention.
Martins also states that she’d like to see “more donations that are more this century… we get a lot of older things that people donate.” In order to create a useful resource, the Free Store needs a good amount of relevant, quality donations that students want to utilize. During the interview, Martins explained that goods that had been in the store for long periods of time often end up being donated to thrift stores, simply because there wasn’t a demand for that style or type of good from the students.
Though the Free Store is just beginning to gain a reputation around campus, the relocation from Park Region to upper Knutson has already shown to make a vast difference in the involvement of students with the resource, and hopefully, the store will continue to gain traction and expand in the future.
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