The University of Connecticut Thrift Den launched this semester, providing Storrs students with an on-campus store for free and sustainable thrifting.
Located in the basement of the Family Studies Building, the Thrift Den features second-hand clothing that students can get for free. The shop is a branch of the Office of Sustainability and has the goal of promoting more sustainable fashion on campus.
The shop was founded by Tina Ngo, a sixth-semester business management major, and Clara Minor, a sixth-semester communications major, as a successor to the UConn Swap Shop, which was located in the same location. Ngo explained that she wanted to create a better business model after the shortcomings of the Swap Shop forced it to close.
“It got shut down because the model was you have to give something to get something, and we ran into a lot of tax compliance issues with that,” she said. “So last semester, I decided to take over the project and work with a team to restructure the framework and try to figure out a way to make it more sustainable.”
Ngo described the shop as “a food pantry, but for clothes,” as the shop features a variety of different clothes and styles, contrasting it from other pop-up thrift stores on campus.
“There’s a lot of clothing on campus that’s more professional wear, which is great,” said Minor. “But something that we really take pride in is we also have a different variety of clothing. We have a lot of casual wear, but also formal gowns and stuff like that.”
All the items featured in the shop are donated, and Ngo and Minor emphasized that they check all the donations to ensure that the shop features the highest-quality items.
“We try to use the idea that thrifting can be glamorous and giving secondhand clothes is a great opportunity to express yourself while reusing and recycling,” said Ngo. “So, our clothes don’t have anything with stains, rips or any malfunctions.”
One aspect of the store that makes it different than other fashion efforts on campus is that they’re the only store with a permanent space, as others set up in various locations on campus.
Shoppers are only allowed to take one item per week from the store. Minor said that this rule is in place for inventory control, as well as to dissuade overconsumption.
The shop first opened its doors on Thursday, Jan. 30 and, since then, Ngo estimated that 300 to 400 students have visited the store so far, with around 250 of those students walking away with items in hand. The first day stood out to them, with turnout being higher than anticipated.
“The first day that we opened, we expected around 10 to 15 people to come in,” said Minor. “But there were so many people, maybe like 50 to 60 that came in, which was absolutely amazing.”
Now that they’re open, Ngo said that one of the goals she has for the shop is to add collection bins in locations around campus, such as the Student Union and residence halls, so students can donate clothes. She added that “a bunch of college students come with more than they can ever wear.” She also brought up the idea of recruiting volunteers to assist the seven-member board that runs the shop.
The Thrift Den is currently open on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit @uconnthriftden on Instagram.