New, Improved Campus Store Opens

Falcon sweatpants, compression shorts, T-shirts, hoodies, stadium blankets, water bottles, mugs and more were flying off the shelves on Thursday, January 20, when the new Campus Store opened its doors. FWCD’s very own Talon did a little pre-shopping before the big rush. All this week, the store’s been the most-visited site on campus as students, parents, faculty and staff flock to it. The store resides in the south hall of the Sid W. Richardson Round Gym building, next to the Technology Office.

Director of Auxiliary Programs Michael Carmody oversees the Campus Store, with Auxiliary Programs Manager Caleb Parker greeting everyone each day and managing the day-to-day operations, including keeping the books, ringing every sale, restocking the store multiple times a day, and more.

The store grew out of a spring 2021 conversation when the mailroom moved to the Mason Middle School and Debbie Chapa, who was the previous face of the Campus Store, moved to Houston. “Prior to the Middle School Expansion in 2012, the Campus Store was located in a modular building next to the current Middle School Circle. With its much larger footprint, the former store had a broad range of clothing and accessories,” said Tom Mitchell, Chief Financial and Operations Officer. “The new configuration and the additional square footage allow the Campus Store to offer the expanded inventory that the former store once sold. Net proceeds from the store support the operating budget through auxiliary program revenue and help the School offset costs not covered through annual tuition dollars.”

Mitchell and Carmody began reimagining the Campus Store in June 2021. “We wanted to create a space that would allow us to bring a greater variety of items to students and families, while also giving families the opportunity to interact with the products in a comfortable environment. Caleb and I used the TCU Campus Store as a resource when thinking about the space that we could create for FWCD, scouting their store on multiple occasions throughout the fall,” Carmody noted. 

Once they had a general idea of what they wanted to do with the FWCD space, the work began. The build-out of the campus store was done in-house by Clovis Murphree and the Plant Operations Team. They started the work in October 2021, knocking down a wall connecting Carmody’s office to the former Parent Faculty Association Lost & Found and Forever Plaid Resale Shop. 

In November, December and January, the space came to life, with slatwall panels so fixtures can easily hook, hang, and be repositioned; a new ceiling, new carpeting, a reception desk, and two new glass doors. The construction was finished before winter break. Both Carmody and Parker spent some break time on-campus setting up the store from a fixture standpoint and then setting up shop. In addition to the expanded apparel options and gift items, school supplies are sold. There are plans to sell snacks and sports drinks. 

“Caleb did extensive research on everything from fixtures to slat walls to hangers. His spreadsheet of research on campus stores throughout the country was an invaluable resource in our planning,” Carmody added. “From there, Clovis and his team did a fantastic job bringing our foggy vision to life. Everything the Plant Ops team does is top-notch, but Caleb and I were stunned at how the space looked when they were finished working their magic. We are still in the process of making some minor adjustments and improvements, so it's going to be an evolving space as we learn more about what students and families want from the Campus Store, but it's already one of my favorite spaces on campus.

“I hope Clovis and his team have had the chance to see the reactions of students when they first walk into the store,” Carmody added. “You can feel their excitement immediately, and that's a testament to the Plant Ops team's ability to take a dream and build it into reality.

“Being able to witness the excitement from students and parents has been amazing. So many have commented on our brand-new items as well as the ‘brand-new smell’ that fills our new space,” Parker said. “Students have been talking about events where they want to wear their new gear, and parents are raving about how excited they are to have items for everyone in the family. Faculty and staff have been swinging by and cannot decide what items to take home. It is very exciting to see the new FWCD spirit wear scattered across campus as well as out in our Fort Worth community!”

#FWCDPointsOfPride

All are welcome in the Campus Store. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed 1-2 p.m. for lunch). Forms of payment accepted are cash, checks and student accounts. Credit cards will be accepted soon. Lower School students must be accompanied by a parent or have written approval to purchase items in the store.

Follow the Campus Store on Instagram @fwcdcampusstore for all the latest items.