After facing hiring delays, the store will continue to provide clothing, lab coats, books and other items to the Davis community
By JESSICA YUNG — campus@theaggie.org
On Oct. 28, the ASUCD Aggie Reuse Store reopened after being closed for nearly half of the quarter due to hiring delays.
The reuse store offers secondhand goods including water bottles, shirts, pants, shoes, lab coats and various other items. The goods that the reuse store provides are free to all students and the larger community and are made available through donations. The store is located at Memorial Union #154 with new hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kate Richards, the Aggie Reuse Store unit director and a second-year history major, expanded on the reason for the delayed opening.
“Because ASUCD hires for all their units at the same time and employs so many students on campus, it’s hard for them to process all the applications,” Richards said.
Richards described the collaborations the store was having with a local downtown business.
“Currently, we are partnering with Yesterday Vintage, so if you donate three or more items to Aggie Reuse you get a 15% off coupon to Yesterday,” Richards said.
The mission of the Aggie Reuse Store is to “promote sustainable fashion and creative upcycling by providing a source for basic needs to the overall community and therefore discouraging fast fashion,” according to their website.
Richards further elaborated on the goals of the establishment, including its unique and community-oriented business model.
“Aggie Reuse runs on a mutual-aid model, which means that everything is free,” Richards said. “We provide an incredibly important basic needs resource to many people living in Davis. We help alleviate any financial burdens students face. The other purpose is to try and make sustainable living accessible to everyone. There is no limit to the amount of things that people can take from the store.”
However, Aggie Reuse does have policies on their donations: “No rips, holes, [and] stains. Please wash clothes before donating,” according to their website.
Richards further explained these donation policies in detail.
“You can stop by and drop off donations anytime we’re open,” Richards said. “We take everything we can but are unable to accept undergarments/bathing suits, large furniture, children’s clothing, technology — such as computers/phones/headphones, although we will take phone chargers or cases — and anything torn, stained or excessively dirty.”
Mileyna Soo, a fourth-year computer science major and a sales volunteer at Aggie Reuse, discussed the store’s changes in advertising and decorations, including being featured on the Unitrans buses.
“I just know that [the bus advertising] is a project that Aggie Reuse was working on last year, so I thought it was really cool to see it when we came back to school,” Soo said. “ I think the decorations in Aggie Reuse highlight the juxtaposition between the store and the rest of the Memorial Union. Since it’s so different, people walking by get curious and take a peek inside.”
The volunteer staff is composed of “Data Analytics, Design, Social Media, Sales, and Marketing,” and applications are open to anyone, according to the Aggie Reuse website.
Richards talked about the process of becoming a volunteer for the organization.
“We hire volunteers at the beginning of each quarter, and our spaces are almost full, but you can apply at any time, and we’ll let you know when there’s space on the team,” Richards said. “The volunteering info/application can be found on our Instagram.”
Richards encouraged anyone who is interested to reach out and join their cause.
“If you have any questions about donations, volunteering, potential collaborations or anything else, feel free to email aggiereuse@asucd.ucdavis.edu,” Richards said.
Written by: Jessica Yung- campus@theaggie.com
