By Daniel Soares
Local Goods, known to most at Colorado College as the C-store, is located on the first floor of Mathias and offers a wide selection of snacks, groceries, and toiletries. Managed by Bon Appetit and open daily until midnight, students can rest easy knowing their cravings can be satisfied with just a swipe of their Gold Card.
To most CC students, the C-store serves as an amenity, allowing them to grab a quick snack on the go. When asked why she visits the C-store, Caitlin Thumann ‘22 said, “It’s a great place to stock up on snacks before I have to study. They have everything I could ever need. My favorite candy to buy there is Mike & Ikes.”
Despite their increased prices, many students favor visiting the C-store over the other convenience stores located near campus because it allows them to spend, as Thumann puts it, “the fake money” that students have on their Gold Cards.
To a few students, the immediate accessibility paired with the vast selection that Local Goods offers has led to a fierce obsession. After moving into Mathias this year, Chris Tobin ‘22 has become a frequent patron — so much so that he has begun to plead with his parents to have his meal plan increased in order to afford his addiction, admitting to his father that the C-store is “my true love and my misery.” Every day, Tobin simply walks down a few flights of stairs, stocks up on toiletries and refreshments, and returns to his dorm, all while remaining in his pajamas.
However, the C-store is not as ubiquitously known across campus as one would think. For those students who have always lived on the opposite side of campus, the C-store appears to lack relevance. When asked how often he frequents the on-campus convenience store, two-time Loomis resident Evan Cho ‘22 asked, “What’s the C-store?”
Cade Thumann ‘22, another West Campus resident said, “No thoughts [on Local Goods]. Only been once.” Cho cites his proximity to the Preserve as the root of his ignorance, while Thumann says he finds it inconvenient to have to walk all the way to Mathias from his room in Bemis.
Local Goods is not just for the occasional quick snack. The store also allows students an opportunity to burn through their excess meal plan money. At any time during the semester, students are able to place orders in bulk for any item in their inventory. But as vacations approach and semesters draw to an end, there is a dramatic uptick in orders as students learn that their unused funds would otherwise go to waste. This rush often causes items to run out of stock, forcing latecomers to order less appealing options.
While not centrally located and unknown to some, the C-store is a great place for students to get anything that they may need without having to venture off campus. Even though the long walk to Mathias might be discouraging, the store redeems itself through its ease, selection, and hours.
