Students seek space for Oakland thrift shop

A group of students in the business of hand-me-downs needs a place to set up shop.

The University of Thriftsburgh, an ongoing effort to create a student-run thrift store on Pitt’s campus, recently gained popularity through the work of six students and a teaching assistant. The students came up with the idea for the shop earlier this semester and will initially rely on donations collected through other organizations’ drives on campus.

The initiative evolved from a group project in a sustainability class through Pitt’s Department of Geology and Planetary Science. The six project members teamed up with teaching assistant Shannon Achille, a junior rehabilitation science major, to design an environmental initiative based on their personal interests.

The University of Thriftsburgh plans to receive a portion of leftover items from today’s Swap-A-Palooza, a one-day event at which students exchange used belongings on the William Pitt Union Lawn. Swap-A-Palooza is co-run by Free the Planet, an environmental group that supports a variety of causes on campus, and Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity.  

Free the Planet and Alpha Phi Omega collected donations for the swap from bins that were placed in 14 dorms across campus over the last week for its annual event, which aims to recycle and reuse unwanted items rather than throw them away.

Nicolette Diehl, a member of Alpha Phi Omega, said Swap-A-Palooza collects anything it can — including clothes, books and lamps.

“We want people to think about what they are doing with their stuff,” Diehl said. “It’s not much of an effort to walk down the hall to one of the bins to help a good cause.”

The store’s location has also yet to be determined.

The group would prefer to open a shop on campus, project member and junior environmental science major Paul Heffernan said, but other members recognize that space is limited.

Dan Takoushian, a senior environmental studies major also involved in the project, said the group has encountered difficulty finding a space on campus to accommodate its store. The members plan to schedule a meeting with Pitt’s administrators, but they’re also keeping their options open.

The project members are looking at a range of places within Oakland, including the City Reformed Presbyterian Church on Fifth Avenue and Community Human Services, a social work organization with locations throughout Pittsburgh.

“We have a resolution to give to Dean [of Students Kathy] Humphrey and a business plan ready, so we’ll be able to get started at a moment’s notice,” Takoushian said. 

For Heffernan, the University of Thriftsburgh will offer a year-round option for students to buy and sell items. If and when it opens, the group plans to keep the store open to community members, as well as college students.

“One main goal is to be accessible at all times. If people only have one event to recycle and reuse their old items, you’re not really serving them the best you can,” Heffernan said.

According to another project member, Alison Sutch, thrift stores encourage consumers to become more conscious of how their clothing is made.

“There are a lot of things messed up with the textile industry, such as workers’ rights violations, pollution problems and so much more that people aren’t aware of,” Sutch said. “Thrift stores encourage people to think about where their clothes come from and see the whole life cycle of the garment.”

The store will initially be donation-based, Sutch said, but will hopefully switch to operating on a system of swapping or buying and selling clothing items once the store builds a starting inventory.

Once the store starts buying and selling items, the project members plan to donate profits to the University or the Pitt Green Fund, a student-controlled fund that supports any creative sustainability initiatives on campus. 

The group has found that most students are very enthusiastic about the idea.  

Through tabling, Facebook groups, Twitter campaigns and petitions, the members have obtained roughly 700 signatures in support of the project.

Anna Greenberg, a freshman environmental studies major, said she pursued the project because she wanted to participate in a big collection event, but since there are already so many on campus, she wanted to put her efforts into something different.

“Most students think it’d be really cool and are really excited about it. A lot of people have asked how to get involved,” Greenberg said.

According to Heffernan, other clubs —  including Alpha Phi Omega, Free the Planet and Americans for Informed Democracy — have shown interest in being involved, as well. 

“One goal is to bring together all these different projects and organizations that have similar goals. So far, the other clubs have been very supportive and helpful, giving us tips from their experiences,” Sutch said. 

Heffernan said the group hopes to transform this project into a club to sustain its goals in the long-term. 

 He is hopeful that the group’s ideas will come to fruition soon.

“Hail to thrift,” he said.