Karin thanks Poughkeepsie NY’s “free store”

Vassar store

This week is deadline week at the magazine, which means I have to be at work far too long for my own good. I just hate hate hate the last week of the month. But when I come home battered and bruised from writing about $1000 moisturizer, I put on my tattered Vassar College hoodie and it’s like I’m back in the womb. I have had the old gross gray sweatshirt since the year we all feared Y2K and have probably worn it more than any other item of clothing in the last 10 years. It’s seen me through breakups, hangovers, illness, major sporting events, and I even had sex on a Japanese beach wearing nothing but the prize piece of clothing and a grin.

While this beloved sweatshirt is my favorite possession from the Vassar College store, it is only one of about 100 other items that I own with my alma mater’s logo printed on it. I have even bought some historic sheet music since I graduated to brush up on our school song.

While still a wide-eyed co-ed, my friend Mary-Alice and I so adored the school store that we implemented a program called “Friday present day, hurrah!” where we bought each other gifts on our parents’ dime. It was the most wonderful plan ever invented by two 21 year olds. We never went overboard and bought each other the much coveted $450 rocking chair complete with school seal, but we did present one another with an overwhelming amount of artery-clogging snacks, made to measure tee-shirts, and copies of poorly rated romantic comedies.

I miss being able to charge things like gummy worms to my parents. I miss having retail therapy available to me every time I bombed a quiz. But luckily, in this world of internet wizardry, there is an online store! I think I’ll just slap on that gray hoodie right now and make some much needed purchases.