Cardozo’s very own thrift shop, the Swap and Shop, was back in session this holiday season. The Swap and Shop ran from Dec. 4-Dec. 6, all periods, in trailer 3. This year, the Swap and Shop was filled with games, books, clothing, and accessories that students and staff give away as a way to declutter their homes.
The Swap and Shop, believe it or not, has been around for 24 years. The event is a huge opportunity for everyone in Cardozo to clean up their homes and find new treasures. For every two items donated, people received a blue ticket, allowing them to get free items from the Swap and Sho. However, if you didn’t swap, you can still buy anything and everything for only $1.
Darleen Jobson Larkin, a kind lady who attends the jewelry stand at the Swap and Shop, expressed, “This is now my third year working at the swap and shop. It’s exciting to students enter the Swap and Shop, because I think that it’s such a good thing for them to see that things that they no longer need is needed by someone else.”
“They can come and get such good deals and don’t have to go buy new things here at the Swap and Shop. It’s such a great thing,” she added.
Many students found out about the Swap and Shop through other students. “I heard about the Swap and Shop from someone in my math class that she found this really gorgeous necklace, and she said it was for a dollar, and it was this gold necklace with an aqua colored charm in the middle, it was so pretty and I wanted to come check it out,” Angelina, a student shopper, shared.
“It’s almost like being in a collective yard sale, I love that there’s this aspect of everyone coming together and contributing and we all come together, it feels like community building,” she added.
One student was able to swap their stuff and decided to buy a pair of bootcut jeans that they found in the clothing rack. Happy, they took it and bought it. “Flare jeans and bootcut jeans are becoming trendy again. I wanted new jeans but I didn’t have the time to buy them. I found a pair, and I checked by using the neck and the elbow method to see if the jeans fit, and surprisingly, the jeans did fit them,” the anonymous student revealed.
Mrs. Arias, a Spanish teacher at Cardozo, brought her students on a “mini field trip” to the Swap and Shop. She assigned the students to take various pictures of holding pictures with their favorite or interesting finds at the event. It was a way to combine both education and fun during this holiday season.
For those who may have missed it, the Swap and Shop is an annual event that occurs at Cardozo. Every year, more and more items are swapped and more and more items are shopped. If you ever have the opportunity, stop by the Swap and Shop during December. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your next treasure at the Swap and Shop.
