During Fall Weekend, the long-awaited Walk-In Closet, an extension of the Coffee Closet located in Cummings Art Center, opened its doors to a line of excited students, parents and alums. “It was awesome, it was overwhelming and it was exciting to really hit the ground running,” said co-manager of the Walk-In Closet, Cian Fields ’16. “I think it was a good weekend to open because many of the new baristas just got thrown into it, and that’s the best way to learn is to really just get thrown into it when it is really hectic and when there’s a line out of the door. It was great,” said Fields.
The idea to create the Walk-In Closet came into being sometime during the 2014-2015 academic year when Fields ran into Dean of Students, Victor Arcelus, one day in Harris Dining Hall. They chatted about the Coffee Closet, which resulted in a longer meeting. During that meeting, they discussed other ways to use the physical space, also known as Ruane’s Den, which had previously housed Jazzman’s Café and Bakery. “Jazzman’s,” as it is commonly known by Conn students, was run by the food company, Sodexo.
During that same meeting, Arcelus asked students involved with the Coffee Closet if they were interested in extending the student-run coffee shop into Ruane’s Den, named after the Ruane family. The Coffee Closet and the Walk-In Closet do receive support from the Office of Student Life, but they are entirely student-run.
With the plan to expand set in motion, Fields, Feeney and others, including Conn alum and former Coffee Closet barista and manager, Jennifer Jackson ’15, got to work on renovation plans. Ruane’s Den is, obviously, much larger than the Coffee Closet, so they had to figure out how to fill such an open space. “Many of the decorations in the new shop – including the paper flowers, plaster elephant, and vinyl butterflies – were a collaborative effort by myself and Jennifer. We spent time at Conn over the summer working on the shop, so the process of redecorating gradually took place over three months or so,” said Feeney.
Both Feeney and Jackson “enjoy making things,” so the opportunity to redecorate gave them a chance to explore their personal styles. “The vinyl butterflies are something I had made two years ago at the Coffee Closet, and people commented on them a lot, so we thought it would be nice to incorporate some visuals from that space into the new one. As for the paper flowers, that was kind of a personal touch… I am a little bit obsessed with paper flowers! There are a bunch in my apartment, and also a bunch in the house where I grew up,” said Feeney.
In designing the new space, Fields said that, “the word we kept trying to focus on was ‘warm.’ We wanted to try to brighten the space up.” Feeney shared Fields’ sentiment: “We wanted the space to feel bright, colorful and clean, so that it could be a relaxing and peaceful spot on campus where people could focus on their work, or just come and hang out.”
Feeney feels that there is still work to be done in decorating the new space. “I don’t feel like we are finished by any means, and we’re always happy to hear feedback about other ideas for decorating. Some long term hopes we have for decorating include painting the walls a brighter color, getting more cool vintage mirrors for the walls, and hanging up more student artwork,” she said.
The staff at the Walk-In Closet and the Coffee Closet, about 31 people across both locations, two of whom are abroad, hope to host a number of events for students, faculty and staff. One avenue they plan to explore is the arts. “We have been talking to a lot of student artists and we really want to showcase more student work. We were considering making the small hallway [with the outside door facing Williams Street], that doesn’t get used too much into a mini student gallery. We want to make it more exciting and interesting” said Fields. “We would also love to do concerts and other music events. We are happy to work with any student clubs that want to have an event here,” Fields added.
Fields also hopes that the new Walk-In Closet will act as a place for faculty and students to meet in a more casual setting. “We want to let professors know that, even though the Walk-In Closet is in a dorm, it is still a public space. Faculty and staff are welcome to come, and we encourage it.”
While they do serve bagels and homemade hummus, The Coffee Closet and Walk-In Closet staff have frequently been asked if they plan to serve more food, like sandwiches, in the new location. “The one thing everyone seems to ask is, ‘are you going to do food?’ We first need to get our footing first and then we can maybe give it a try. The thought of adding sandwiches is pretty daunting, but we’ll see,” said Fields.
Since the Walk-In Closet is still relatively new, staff and managers are still adjusting to working in two locations. “Right now the transition process is a bit tricky because we have been using the kitchen [in the first floor of Cummings], which is really tiny. We are in the process of moving all of the baking supplies into the Walk-In Closet kitchen. We are going to be more based out of the Walk-In Closet, rather than in Cummings,” said Fields.
Given that coffee is no stranger to college students, the Walk-In Closet should be a success. Those looking for a homemade baked good, a cup of coffee (or other café drinks) and a relaxing place to study or chat, should visit the Walk-In Closet. •
