By Harley Ryan 

Have you ever walked into a store and been able to take whatever you wanted for free and not been charged with stealing? Well the Swap Shop, otherwise known as Shenandoah Salvage Co., on campus will allow you to get away with this crime.

It is a consignment shop that was started in 2012 and is open to students, faculty, as well as all employees of Shenandoah. The way it works is simple; people bring in items that they don’t want or need anymore and, in return, take items they do need, hence the name “Swap” shop. If you don’t have anything to swap in, you are still more than welcome to take items; however, the person behind the desk will ask you to pay it forward by doing something nice that day or bring something in next time.

Junior Nursing Major Hannah Fogarty

“We take anything from clothes, to school supplies, old books, [and] have had printers in the past,” said junior nursing major Hannah Fogarty. They even take non-perishable food items, “if your mom bought you something and you can’t stand it, we’ll take it!” joked Fogarty. Although they take just about anything, they do have a few items they will not accept (see list below). Items such as the ones on the list that are brought to the store will likely be donated to the local Goodwill.

If you are looking for something specific and don’t find it in the store, don’t worry! They have a whiteboard where you can write down whatever you are looking for; make sure to put your email address on the board as well. They will contact you if they have found the item in their storage room.

The Swap Shop is a great place for students who are on a tight budget, but many students are unaware of its existence. To get the word out, they will usually have a program once a month in the student center and give away items from the store. For the month of October, they had a Halloween program. Fogarty said, “we took out all the Halloween decorations and anything we thought students could use for costumes and we had it on a table in the student center.” They also gave out free treats to whoever came by the swap shop in a costume.  So if you visit the student center frequently, keep an eye out for this month’s program. You may find something you have been looking for at their table.

If you want to check it out or drop off some unwanted items, they are located in Cooley Hall on the second floor. It is the last room on the left at the very end of the hallway. The room is painted bright yellow so you can’t miss it. Their hours are Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm.