Keene State College’s free on-campus thrift store, The Thrifty Owl, is located on the first floor of the Elliot Center. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and offers professional clothing, home essentials, office supplies and other items to KSC students at no charge.
The Thrifty Owl is just one part of a variety of efforts from KSC’s Sustainability Office, with support from the Eco-Reps student organization with the intention of making Keene State a more sustainability-focused campus.
A recent collaborative event from the Sustainability Office, Eco-Reps and The Thrifty Owl was the annual Share The Love Clothing Swap on Feb. 13.
The event enabled students to give back to the KSC community and learn about how they can live sustainably by donating unused clothes or picking up new ones for themselves as opposed to going out and spending money.
The Thrifty Owl accepts donations year-round and is run by student volunteers and members of Eco-Reps.
KSC students have said they appreciate the convenience of The Thrifty Owl as well as its financial benefits.
Junior Grace Neff said, “I’ve only been there a few times, but after seeing how convenient it is for students, I think it’s a great thing to have here.”
Sophomore Rae Gordon said, “It’s an amazing resource. Not only is it helping with clothing waste, but it helps students find options for clothes they might not be able to get elsewhere. It’s also helpful when you’re moving off campus and don’t need to keep some of the things you currently own.”
“I think it’s a really cool thing we have on campus. Students don’t always have the time to go out and find business casual clothing, so I think it’s a good resource,” said junior Sarah Stagg. “It’s great because it’s free, so it’s not as financially taxing or draining.”
Senior June Gajewski said, “I like it. I’ve been a couple times to get nicer clothes for presentations and things like that. I’ve never had an issue, and it’s always super convenient.”
The Sustainability Office also supports The Hungry Owl, an on-campus student-run food pantry that offers food to KSC students, staff and faculty, as well as the Eco House, a recently established residential option for “like-minded students exploring the connection between nature and human communities, promoting eco-friendly lifestyles and fostering a sense of belonging,” as stated on the Sustainability Office’s Instagram.
Kate Witte, sustainability coordinator, did not respond for comment.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
