Want to Spice Up Your Closet? Read Below.

Photo courtesy of Keri Krasnoff

In the basement of Larrabee is a free thrift store that not many students know about. Originally called ‘The Swap Shop’, the shop was initiated by the Office of Sustainability to give students a more sustainable option to find new clothes. “The idea for a permanent [shop] started as a group project proposal in the Spring 2021 SUS293 [Applications of Sustainability] course,” says Director of Sustainability Margaret Bounds. “Enso Tran ‘22 then became the Team Leader in the 2021-2022 academic year to implement the project. The team started off with a pop-up shop in December of 2021, and then in spring 2022, we were able to secure the space in Larrabee with the help of Justin Mendillo, Director of Gender and Sexuality Programs (GSP).” 

Beginning this semester, the Office of Sustainability began a collaboration with GSP to rebrand the space to become The Dressing Room. Now, the free shop is offering the chance for students to make one on one appointments with a stylist. According to Mendillo, there are three stylists: Sam Jones ‘23, Erin Crotty ‘24  and Sitara Ahanari ‘25, whose jobs are to monitor the stylist request form, negotiate who styles each client, and perform check-ins on the physical space. “Our GSP stylists then ask questions about the client’s needs and help find solutions. Whether that be with their individual aesthetic, what to wear to an interview, or if they just need help finding a warm jacket for the winter, the GSP stylists are here for YOU,” says Mendillo. Students who are interested in signing up for a one on one consultation with a stylist can find QR codes posted on flyers around campus directing them to the request form, or they can find the form on the linktree attached to GSP’s Instagram, @conncoll_gsp.

The shop is not only limited to clothes for students to take; “The Dressing Room also has canned food and toiletries available for free and students can donate those. Students can also donate bedding, school supplies, accessories like bags and jewelry, and shoes,” says Bounds. Students can also donate to The Dressing Room by either dropping them off at the shop or to the LGBTQIA+ Center in Burdick. Students do not need to donate anything to be able to take anything from the shop for free. 

The next plan for The Dressing Room will be to decorate the shop to look more welcoming. “We’re looking to get some color on the walls, a couple of mirrors and some fairy lights,” says Mendillo. Recent goals that GSP accomplished were to offer a size chart for clothes and to sort the clothes by function rather than gender. “This space is meant for everyone; whether you need clothes to help match your gender presentation to your gender identity, or you need formalwear to an interview, or even if you simply need clothes to stay warm in the winter, the Dressing Room is a resource for all,” concludes Mendillo. If you’re looking to spice up your closet for free, go check out The Dressing Room on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8pm in Larrabee 001!