Over the course of three years Cleveland’s student store has grown into a place where students get the chance to gain real job experience and community in our school. 

Students have grown worried about what will happen to the student store due to Cleveland being remodeled and the students moving to the Marshall campus for the next three years. Fortunately, the student store will be stronger than ever at Marshall, but the real worry should be for what they are going to be doing for the following years in the new Cleveland building. 

“It’s kind of become a hangout spot, you know? And ours is so much better. No other school has this,” stated Lurena Weesner, the student store teacher who oversees all of the Cleveland student store including Grover’s Grinds and Grover’s Gifts. 

The Marshall campus offers a similar amount of space for the student store as Cleveland, and all three branches of the store will still be active. One room across from the Marshall cafeteria will be used for the store, and another small room nearby will be used for the cafe. This room, a former staff lounge, connects to a fenced off outdoor area that will be used for outdoor seating with new picnic tables, Weesner said.

Moving all of the student store supplies and appliances will be tough due to large objects like the ping pong and foosball tables. Weesner plans on purchasing new foosball tables to update the space and be easier to move. The vending machine in the cafeteria will be coming to Marshall, and Weesner hopes to buy a new drink vending machine because of demand and the fact that the current machine is not able to hold any drinks besides Capri Suns and Yoohoos. 

Once the remodel is finished and the students come back to Cleveland after being at Marshall for three years the space for the student store will be minimal. 

“When they did the remodel, the student store wasn’t a thing, because they’ve been working on the remodel for years, and this just opened last year, and so they didn’t plan for any student store,” Weesner said. 

The student store has become a must have for the students at Cleveland to enjoy building community at the school. It has been a way for the school to receive money for the students that is funded by students in a fun way. The store has become a big part of what Cleveland is to its students and having a smaller area to sell goods without a hangout area can only take away part of the high school experience. 

“I’ve been having this conversation for two years, so I’m like, do I give up, or do I just get a whole bunch of kids together and we demand more space,” Weesner said, determined to continue the student store and fight for a bigger space in the new Cleveland remodel. 

The student store has provided students with a fun aspect of the school community but it also gives students who take the class real job experience. The students taking the student store class learn how to work as a cashier, make drinks, take people’s orders, and even work the espresso machine. Learning these skills gives the students a better chance of getting a job in the future. 

“But I really do want it to be a place to hang out and where people come, where people can relax and play ping pong,” said Weesner. 

Students need a place to go when they need a break and the student store is there for them. The store has been a place where students can meet other students, relax with their friends, or buy food when they are hungry, and it is what makes Cleveland unique.