Illinois State University
IL-65: Innovation A

The ISU Office of Sustainability has developed and successfully implemented the Share Shop, a free secondhand store located within the office.  

The Share Shop provides students with access to gently-used items, including clothing, shoes, accessories, household items, and textbooks. Operated by students and supported through donations from the campus and community, it has become an increasingly popular resource. The initiative represents a commitment to sustainability, resource conservation, and inclusivity while offering professional development opportunities for students

The store runs three days a week, and on the remaining days, students sort, clean, and restock donations, refining their skills in visual merchandising, social media management, and marketing. Students working at the Share Shop gain valuable hands-on experience in retail operations, visual merchandising, and customer engagement. The store is intentionally designed to resemble a boutique, ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment that promotes secondhand shopping as both sustainable and accessible.

Seasonal displays, such as Halloween costumes, homecoming spirit wear, and graduation apparel, enhance the shopping experience while teaching students advanced merchandising techniques. Marketing efforts on social media, emails and digital signage across campus focus on educating the campus community about the benefits of secondhand shopping, highlighting that sustainability does not have to be costly.

The Share Shop also collaborates with the Multicultural Center on initiatives like the Affirmation Station, providing transgender students with clothing to explore and experiment with different styles. Additional pop-up events with the College of Education, Career Services, Women in Business, and the School of Music help address specific needs, such as career apparel or formal wear.

The Share Shop's basement doubles as a storage and sorting area, where a rigorous sorting process ensures the proper management of donations.

Items needing repair are repaired by students in our Fix It Friday program (winner the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award in 2012!) Items are mended and returned to the Share Shop stock.

The office invested in a washer and dryer to launder stained but salvageable items, an effort that goes beyond traditional thrift store practices. Specifically, bedding items are laundered, bundled, and labeled to become more marketable to students, indicating sizes of sheets or comforters.

Items not suitable for reuse are directed to specific recycling programs:

• Worn-out T-shirts are sent to --- and repurposed as industrial rags;
• Denim beyond repair is sent to Cotton Inc.’s Blue Jeans Go Green Campaign to be recycled into housing insulation.
• Non-cotton stained clothing: Sent to Suay Recycling in Los Angeles for repurposing into new materials.
• Socks: Mismatched or damaged socks are recycled through the Smart Wool Second Cut Project.
• Shoes: Unusable footwear is sent to Nike Grind and TerraCycle for recycling
• Metal Hangers are sent to Metals Recycling

High-quality items not picked up at the Share Shop are donated to organizations such as the Immigration Project, supporting the broader community.

The Share Shop utilizes a system in which students scan a QR code to check-in and provide their name and email address. This provides us with contact information of students visiting the store and gives us approximate data on the number of visitors. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Share Shop had 2,140 check-ins. This does not include the additional 234 check-ins at two separate Share Shop pop-up events held in partnership with the College of Education. Additionally, 288 individuals checked in during new student orientation in the summer of 2024. 

Website: https://sustainability.illinoisstate.edu/engage/share-shop/ 

Share Shop IG: https://www.instagram.com/ilstushareshop

Share Shop FB: https://www.facebook.com/ISUShareShop