Vintage Mack is hosting a donation drive through May 3 to reduce waste on campus during student move-out. Bins are located in Deegan East/West, Monican, Ash, O’Brien, and Cushing Hall (in the Humanities Lounge), as well as in the St. Thomas and St. Ann laundry rooms, the Hub, and the mailroom. Accepted donations include gently used clothing of all styles, sizes, and genders. Vintage Mack also accepts jewelry, accessories, lamps, storage ottomans and carts, whiteboards, mirrors, and decorations.
Vintage Mack launched this spring with two pop-up events. The first, which took place in the Sak, featured items priced from $3–$10. In four hours, Vintage Mack made over $1,500 in sales and sold more than 230 items. During their second pop-up event in early April, they charged $7 to fill a paper bag with clothing items.
Students created Vintage Mack alongside Dr. Debra Michals, an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities, to address limited access to affordable, sustainable, and expressive fashion on campus. According to Sophia Hausberger ’26, this kind of student-driven effort “empowers creativity, fosters community, and gives clothing a second life.”
Many of the students involved in Vintage Mack chose to participate to demonstrate that the campus can be both sustainable and stylish. “We collectively want to create a circular economy on this campus rather than a linear one that wastes clothes and contributes to landfill buildup,” said Madeleine Cherry ’27.
Other students are participating in Vintage Mack to learn what it’s like to build a business from the ground up. “It has been special to see how young women from different backgrounds can come together and achieve something bigger than themselves,” said Izzy Gardiner ’26.
Next year, students plan to host more pop-ups, fashion shows, and upcycling events. They also hope to operate in a more permanent location. Giovanna Antunes ’27 hopes it will become a space where students can not only shop but also build community.
All Merrimack students are eligible to join the Vintage Mack club. Interested students should email vintagemack@merrimack.edu.
