A look into the clothing selection at the Free Store. Photo Credit: Kieley Jacobson

Tucked away in a small corner of the chemistry building sits UMD’s very own free store, an area of inclusivity helping students of all backgrounds secure things they may be in need of. Located in Chemistry 213, the Free Store welcomes all students to stop by and shop at any time during the semester.

The only thing a student needs to pick up anything offered is their student ID number. Just make sure not to exceed the four-item limit per visit.

Run by the Office of Sustainability, the Free Store is made up entirely of donations from students, staff, and community members. “A lot of our donations come from the end-of-year move-out collection that we do over in housing,” says Matthew van Wageningen, the coordinator of the Office of Sustainability, "everything in here is available for students on campus. We have kitchen supplies, clothing, school supplies, decor. Basically, anything that you could think of. We have that in this space.”

Matthew van Wageningen, the coordinator of the Office of Sustainability. Photo Credit: Kieley Jacobson

Donations are accepted through a bin located outside of the Free Store, as well as in the Darland Administration Building. As a general rule of thumb when donating, if you cannot picture another student using it, it is probably not something to donate. For an accepted donations list, click here.

The Free Store has existed as a part of the UMD community for many years, but has held its physical space in Chemistry since 2024, when a Minnesota GreenCorps member serving a term with the Office of Sustainability led the charge to open the space as a part of their mission here at UMD. Since then, it has been run entirely by students and staff who work in the office.

The Free store hours are: Monday 12:30-4:30, Wednesday 2:00-4:30, and Thursday 12:00-4:30.

Inside UMD’s Free Store