As many students have recognized, the Savers clothing store across Lake Street has recently closed. South students have frequented the store for years, and have enjoyed their low-priced clothing. The closing has come as a surprise to many students who considered themselves regular customers.

South senior Eoin Irmiter has felt impacts from the closure. According to Irmiter, “It’s really a shame to see Savers close, it’s in a super convenient spot for many people.” The loss of this store has impacted some people in the neighborhood quite heavily, and has left many searching for other options. While this specific Savers store is not the only thrift store in the area, it was one of the most well known and accessible, and it had a huge selection.

However South senior Frank Savage wasn’t too badly affected by the closure. “I guess it just means I have to find new places to shop…Savers was nice because it was pretty big and really close to South.” Many students are feeling distraught about the closure, and are confused about why. The store seemed to have a booming business, and was usually busy.

In addition to this store closing, another thrift store owned by the same parent company as Savers has closed recently in the Twin Cities. As well as this closure, Savers has announced that they will be closing over a third of their stores in the Chicago area in coming weeks. The reason behind these closures was discussed in an article by Lauren Zumbach in the Chicago Tribune. Zumbach interviewed a Savers spokesperson, who said the main reason for the closures are “local market pressures.” While this could be unconnected to the closures in the Twin Cities, the reasons for closure in the Twin Cities are likely similar.

In combination with impacting students, the loss of the store has impacted teachers as well. Photography and graphic design teacher Corbin Doty had this to say on the topic. “I don’t like to buy new clothes because the clothing industry is really messed up… I mean, thrift stores kind of have an interesting culture. The cashiers know the regulars, the regulars know the regulars… That’s the biggest loss to the community.”

According to Doty, the closure of the store not only leaves local shoppers with less options for used clothes, but also removes somewhat of a cultural hub from the neighborhood. Doty believes that this removal will actually be detrimental to the community as a whole, and will leave somewhat of a void both materialistically and emotionally for former shoppers.