A Wallingford high school is helping its students stay in style and save money with their very own thrift store.
Imagine being able to shop for clothes, shoes and accessories right at school. Students at Lyman Hall High School are getting exactly that through their school's thrift store - Top Drawer.
"Students can come in, everything is free to students," high school social worker Kristina Jensen said.
Jensen brought the ideas to her school after her daughter told her about a thrift store at her high school in Branford.
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Jensen made the pitch to principal Joseph Corso, who gave them the green light and from there, they hit the ground running.
“Students can get things for themselves, for their family members, for younger siblings or parents who may need something," Jensen said.
“Whether they are having affording clothes regularly or they’re just looking for something new, all of our students really feel comfortable coming through here," Corso said.
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With the help of English teacher Jenn Catelli, the former classroom resembles a real store.
"Some of our racks in the beginning had like three things on them and we said, ''OK, now we have enough men's T-shirts to all put together, so we tried to kind of do it that way," Castelli said.
The store opened back in October and since then, it has helped over 400 students.
“I actually did get some pants from here, the jeans were really nice, and it was like those types of jeans that I would’ve bought at a store, but it was too expensive and I came here and I found them, and I was like 'oh, this is such a great opportunity,'" senior Kayla Casorla said.
The store is also helping to destigmatize shopping for used clothes.
"It feels like you can walk in here without anyone judging or saying anything bad to you," Casorla said.
Jensen said the response has been more than she could dream of.
"Being able to work with really great people who can help things come to reality, is what being part of this school has meant to me for so many years," she said.
