Thousands of Dalhousie students dropped by the on-campus Free Store for a special back-to-school event earlier this month, stocking up on a huge range of goods for the year ahead — all without ever swiping a bank card.
The store — an initiative run by Dal’s Office of Sustainability — collects donations year-round and repurposes them for students to have for free, stocking shelves with a variety of items like room decor, school supplies, clothing, storage units, books, electronics, and more.
The service first launched a pilot two years ago, moving into a bigger space in the Mona Campbell Building last fall to accommodate growing demand.
This year's back-to-school event drew 2,180 new and returning students over four days. The demand was evident on opening day (Sept. 2), when a lineup snaked around the corner of LeMarchant Street and onto Coburg Road nearly an hour before doors opened.
Jada, a first-year student living in residence, found the “exact shelf” she had spent weeks searching online for before “giving up” because of the prices.
“There was one at Home Depot, but it was like $100,” she said. “I wasn’t going to pay that.”
Jada with her shelf.
By the time Jada left the store, she’d also picked up a kettle and a shower caddy that was “sold out everywhere.”
Another student was pleased to unexpectedly check another item of their shopping list: “Oh, they have lab coats. I didn’t have to go out and buy one.”
Demand keeps growing
The Free Store has received more than 16,000 pounds of donations valued at more than $100,000 since April, said Vedika Bhardwaj, a Free Store staff member and data analyst with the Office of Sustainability. Many of those items would otherwise have ended up in the landfill.
The store, regularly open Wednesday and Friday afternoons, has attracted an average of 131 visitors each day it has been open since April. During this year's back-to-school event, that figure jumped to 545 visitors a day.
Second year students Maggie and Megan, shown above left, were in the process of making their off-campus student houses into homes.
“Everything is so expensive. I found my couch on the street,” said Megan. “This place means I can afford to eat, honestly.”
“My coffee table is a street sign,” added Maggie. “I have nothing in my room right now because decor is so expensive, but now I can use these,” she adds, holding a plant, fairy lights, and two throw pillows she found.
Giving goods new life
Dal student Santiago, a community assistant with the Residence Life team, saw a flyer for the Free Store on campus and went looking for a rug.
“You can use this place as a reminder of how much stuff people actually own, and where it would have gone if it didn’t come here,” he said, acknowledging how the project gave new life to old goods.
Luke, Atman, Kaies, Terence and Juneau, a group of second- and third-year students, took a group trip to the Free Store, leaving with an abundance of items between them. They had things they came looking for like foam rollers and armchairs, and things they found along the way like a microwave and a “swanky fish poster.”
Second year Dal student, Arshiya, went to the Free Store in search of a fan on Wednesday. He left with what he came for but also a backpack and unopened pack of lined paper. He said the Free Store means a lot to him “especially as an international student, struggling with things like money.”
Second year Master’s student Tal came looking for bedding and found a comforter, a blanket, and a mattress topper.
“The mattress topper was a surprising find,” she said. “I've been here before. They save me a lot of money.”
Missed the back-to-school event? Don’t fret: The Free Store is open this semester at the Mona Campbell Building every Wednesday and Friday from 12-4 p.m.