Happy Anniversary! College Store and Cafe Celebrates One Year in Business
Wilson College Store/Cafe will reach a milestone this month, marking its first anniversary on Sat, Oct. 21. During its first year, the College Store/Café continued to gain more positive feedbacks from Wilson students and community members as the business became more established.
The re-location of the College Store and especially the grand opening of the Café was one of Wilson’s highlights in 2016. Moved from its old location in Lenfest Commons, the College Store is now located next to the Café on the ground floor of John Stewart Memorial library.
The store’s mission has never changed. It has always been the place for Wilson lovers to purchase Wilson-featured gears. Some of the most famous items include the Phoenix sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs and keychains. The store also promotes branded merchandise with items designed specifically for Wilson’s traditional Evens and Odds colors.
As excited students are with the College Store’s relocation, they are more thrilled about the opening of the College Café.
In response to customers’ demand, the Café’s menu offers various beverages and food items, ranging from different types of coffee, Frappuccino, and smoothies to daily muffins and sandwiches. The Café has also recently added new fall flavors with the release of the Peanut Butter White Hot Chocolate and Latte.
Mary Middaugh, the brand new manager of the College Store/Café, thought this was a perfect fit for her passion in customer service in the food industry.
“Every day is a different day,” shared Middaugh. “As the students stop by the store/café, we get to know them or at least what food and drink they like. Many of them will stand and talk to us about their family, course of study or other activities here at Wilson. It is a great feeling to know that they enjoy stopping by. We encourage everyone to stop in and meet our staff of friendly associates.”
Heidi Smith ’18 shared, “We have so much more options of drinks and food now. The Café was definitely my lifesaver during summer time when the dining hall is not open. The longer hours are a plus too as we can now get food whenever we want without having to wait for the dining hall to be open!”
Students can get the chance to explore the Café not only by purchasing items but also by becoming an employee. The Café hires work study students in different hour shifts.
Having been with the Café for over a year, Esther Miller ’18 never lost excitement coming to work.
Miller expressed, “I enjoy seeing different people coming to the shop, almost everyone on campus actually. I honestly love making drinks and keep experimenting with different ingredients until we come up with something new that people love.”
Middaugh added, “We are more than just a café and college store, as managers and mentors strive to provide an environment where student workers can learn retail, food service and business management skills.”
In regards to the near future vision for the College Store/Café, Middaugh said, “We will continue to keep everyone’s interest at the café by introducing seasonal items and celebrating National Holidays like ‘White Chocolate Day’ and ‘Rice Krispie Treat Day.’ On these days we sold Rice Krispies Treats and introduced a new White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate to our daily menu.
For more information on the hours and menu items, please visit the Wilson College Store/Café.