Secondhand store seeking fourth home

Augie Thrift may be on the move again.

In January, the Space Utilization Task Force notified the club that its home in the Humanities building will likely be needed for academic use.

Since Augie Thrift opened in February 2024, the club has moved from the Tuve Hall basement to its first-floor lobby and most recently to the third floor of the Humanities building.

Junior Jackson Reece, the club’s president, said this instability is especially frustrating given the club’s success.

“It’s very stressful because it’s a lot of stuff,” said Reece. “We have consistent business. Our events have been doing very well this year, and so not having that space is kind of nerve-racking.”

For junior Faith Albert, the club’s vice president, the burden is larger than most people would assume.

“I also think people don’t realize how much work it actually is to keep the shop running and be moving all this stuff around,” Albert said. “We are students. We have other things going on, but then also this moving around can just add some extra layer of stress and work on top of the traditional school load.”

As the university is facing a heightened demand for space, according to Rick Tupper, the chair of the Space Utilization Task Force, the club’s move into the Humanities building was not processed through official channels.

“I was not involved in any discussions involving Augie Thrift taking over the space they currently occupy,” Tupper said in an email. “We do have a procedure for repurposing space on campus, and I do not know who ultimately gave permission for them to move into this space.”

Tupper noted that as the university evaluates campus spaces, academic needs must take priority over student organizations. In this instance that the January warning was intended to give the club time to prepare rather than to serve as an immediate eviction.

“We don’t know if it will be this semester, this summer or a specific timeline, but we did not want them to be surprised when that need arises,” Tupper said.

To avoid academic space conflicts, the club is exploring the possibility of more creative spaces, including a shipping container storefront or a dedicated theme house.

Kathleen McCollough, the club’s advisor, believes finding a permanent space for the club is vital.

“‘You bloom where you’re planted,’ but when you keep getting plucked and having to put down your roots somewhere else, it’s challenging,” McCollough said. “It’s hard to sustain a community when you don’t have a designated space.”

Despite the uncertainty, the club remains focused on its immediate mission. Augie Thrift now holds sales every two weeks on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. in Humanities room 323.

McCollough remains optimistic about the club’s long-term resilience.

“Augie Thrift can still thrive, even if we don’t have a space right now,” McCollough said. “Even if it’s not our ideal vision of what it should be, we can still do things.”

While the university is facing a heightened demand for academic space, according to Rick Tupper, the chair of the Space Utilization Task Force, the club’s initial move into the Humanities building was not processed through official channels.

“I was not involved in any discussions involving Augie Thrift taking over the space they currently occupy,” Tupper said in an email. “We do have a procedure for repurposing space on campus, and I do not know who ultimately gave permission for them to move into this space.”

Tupper noted that as the university evaluates campus spaces, academic needs must take priority over student organizations, adding that the January warning was intended to give the club time to prepare rather than to serve as an immediate eviction.

“We don’t know if it will be this semester, this summer or a specific timeline, but we did not want them to be surprised when that need arises,” Tupper said.

To avoid academic space conflicts, the club is exploring the possibility of more creative spaces, including a shipping container storefront or a dedicated theme house.

Kathleen McCollough, the club’s advisor, believes finding a permanent space for the club is vital.

“‘You bloom where you’re planted,’ but when you keep getting plucked and having to put down your roots somewhere else, it’s challenging,” McCollough said. “It’s hard to sustain a community when you don’t have a designated space.”

Despite the uncertainty, the club remains focused on its immediate mission. Augie Thrift now holds sales every two weeks on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. in Humanities room 323.

McCollough remains optimistic about the club’s long-term resilience.

“Augie Thrift can still thrive, even if we don’t have a space right now,” McCollough said. “Even if it’s not our ideal vision of what it should be, we can still do things.”