New2U is a sustainable reuse program led by Facilities Management Sustainability (Sustainable UMass). Its mission is to reduce waste at UMass Amherst and foster a culture of sustainability and creativity among students, faculty, and staff. Over the last decade, New2U’s annual Sustainable Move-Out Collection and Move-In Tag Sale events have collectively diverted over 100,000 pounds of items from being sent to landfills. On February 13, 2025, the program celebrated its expansion with the grand opening of the New2U store, UMass’s first-ever, student-run, year-round thrift store.
Eva Bergloff, a sustainable community development major and Sustainability Fellow was asked by Sustainable UMass managers Ezra Small and Laurie Simmons to fulfill their vision of turning New2U’s new permanent space in Hampden Commons into the thrift store. Bergloff designed the store, including its layout, operations manual, staff organization, and business plan.
“I’ve always loved thrift stores, and I’ve always wanted to start a business,” said Bergloff.
Growing up, Bergloff would sell items on Poshmark; she launched a second-hand upcycling business in high school; and she has even sold her own hand-made products at farmers markets. Bergloff is a maker and a self-starter, so being able to help bring the New2U space to life and give it her own twist was an exciting opportunity.
Launching the store was also a challenge, however. Limited funding for the project meant that the New2U team had to be extremely resourceful when designing and setting up everything.
“It was essentially use what we have,” said Bergloff.
But this challenge also created a way for the team to exercise New2U’s mission to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and to involve the UMass community in the process.
Through student surveys and other outreach, the team learned what people at UMass most needed in a thrift store. Clothes, they found, were particularly in high demand. Members of the New2U team then came together with the campus community to supply all the items needed for the store’s opening. All the merchandise for sale and all the shelves, tables, and other displays you can see today were donated by fellow students, faculty, and staff who had a desire to give back.
“That was a really fun project,” said Bergloff, “being able to look through everything and say ‘oh what can we use this for, what can we use that for!’"
This reduce/reuse effort aligns with Bergloff’s own philosophy as an aspiring city planner. From creating green infrastructure plans to reusing materials for community events and art programs, Eva is passionate about helping urban communities reduce waste and live more sustainably.
“Being able to do that on a small scale here was really fun, and it was cool to see how well everything turned out to be,” said Bergloff. “It showed that just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. There’s always a chance to give something a second life.”
Bergloff has made it her mission to amplify New2U as resource for UMass students, not only by accepting and selling thousands of material items at affordable prices, but also by creating new opportunities for student experiences. Throughout the project, Bergloff and the New2U team have been focused on building strong partnerships with student artists, vendors, and clubs across campus.
As a member of the Community Building Group (CBG) at the Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, Bergloff collaborated with her CBG peers to get feedback on the store’s design and brainstorm ideas for fostering community in the new space. New2U’s location in Hampden Commons, across from the Hampden Art Gallery, was once a cafe and a lively hub for students on Southwest’s campus. Behind the New2U store is an event space where clubs can host programs focused on topics like sustainability and upcycling.
“Hopefully we can start a domino effect of community building in this space and hopefully get it back up to have the energy it once had before,” said Bergloff.
New2U’s contributions to the UMass community continue to grow, a momentum which was felt during the the store’s grand opening on Thursday, February 13th. Supporters cheered on the New2U team as Ezra Small cut the ribbon to open the doors. Bergloff and the crew greeted every customer who walked in and were eager to help as shoppers combed through racks of clothing, shelves of books, and tables covered with assortments of dorm decor, kitchen items, and electronics. While many visitors shared their excitement over unique finds, others had fun entering raffles and reflecting upon their experiences in the store’s guest book. Even Sam the Minuteman gave a thumbs-up to show some UMass pride for the store and what promises to be a successful road ahead.
The New2U thrift store is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 1:00-5:00 PM at Hampden Commons across the main lobby from the Hampden Art Gallery.
Photos by Olga Kyle, UMass Amherst
