Dec. 4, 2024 was the KSU Surplus Store’s last day at its location at the corner of East Main Street and Willow Street, where it had been operating since September 2023. Kent State Today most recently posted a story about the store in October 2024.
On Jan. 8, the surplus store opened in its new location on the third floor of the vacant College of Business Administration building on Terrace Drive. (The Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship moved into its new location, Crawford Hall, in the summer of 2024.)
The store is operated by University Facilities Management and represents a commitment by their team and Kent State to the university's strategic priority of organizational sustainability. Items that are no longer needed by the university are offered for sale, to be reused and repurposed, reducing the amount of waste material produced by Kent State. The university benefits from the sale of items that might otherwise go into landfills, which also benefits the environment. The community enjoys very low prices on a wide selection of used items, including furniture, electronics, office supplies, art and more.
The furniture selection includes some very solidly built, institutional-quality pieces, made from solid wood, not pressboard. The items are “priced to move.” A large bookcase, for example, can cost as little as $10. A chair can be purchased for $3. Store staffers are available to assist in moving large items to customers’ vehicles.
The selection of items for sale changes weekly, and inventory sells quickly. In 2024, the surplus store sold more than 6,000 items. Sales are by debit card or credit card only (no American Express, however), and no cash or checks. Items must be removed on the date of purchase and cannot be returned.
What's Different in the New Location
In the old location on East Main Street, items for sale were spread out on three floors. Now, everything is on the College of Business Administration building’s second floor, and is sorted by item category in different offices and other spaces. On room, for example, has an assortment of computers, monitors and other electronics, another is filled with chairs of all kinds. One room has maps. There’s a room for vinyl records, shelves full of antique books, and so on. Larger items like sofas, desks and bookshelves line the hallways between offices.
The antique books are particularly interesting to some shoppers; most are more than 125 years old.
How's Business?
“Busy,” said Douglas Scott, a mover with University Facilities Management as he moved some chairs in the lobby. He said that there has been a steady stream of visitors to the store that day and the store’s lobby area had been “cleared out” of all the chairs and sofas that had been displayed there by a couple who were opening a business.
Jeremy Watson is the storekeeper for the surplus store. He's also from the Moving Department of University Facilities Management. He noted that the move to campus has been good for sales as he is seeing more students browsing the store than he did at the old location. Since opening in the new location, Watson estimates that they are selling about 200 items each week.
The KSU Surplus Store is open from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Weekly updates, including any days the store might be closed or closing early, are posted on the store’s Facebook page. Parking is available in the College of Business Administration building’s parking lot and the store’s entrance faces Terrace Drive. The water supply to the building has been shut off, so there are no active restrooms or sinks.
