Racks of brightly colored garments and neatly placed shoes fill the room. People walk around admiring the low-priced, name brand clothing that sparkle bright in the light. While looking at an item, a student from the CWU Apparel, Textiles and Merchandising (ATM) program greets customers and convince them that there is no better deal than at the second CWU Pop-Up Thrift Boutique.

The ATM program has been a part of CWU since 1915. Students who major in ATM learn about the business aspects of the fashion industry. The program includes courses on fashion, business and creativity. By majoring in the ATM program, a person could become a fashion trend analyst, a merchandise planner, a fashion stylist, or a fashion event coordinator.

The pop-up shop will be selling new and gently used name brand men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and shoes. There will be items in various sizes, including plus sizes .

The Pop-Up Thrift Boutique is a way to provide fashionable clothing to community members at low prices. Student Fashion Association members will also have an opportunity to merchandise the product and work with customers.

“So many of my students have a lot of clothes they were going to get rid of and I thought it would be a great hands-on way of applying things they have been learning in class and fundraise for their field experience,” Andrea Eklund, associate professor and program director of the ATM program and Student Fashion Association advisor, said.

The Pop-Up Thrift Boutique started in 2015 and has become a way for ATM students to fundraise for their annual field trip. This year, 22 students and two professors will be going to New York City. Students will be able to visit designers, showrooms, brand headquarters and museums.

Although Eklund has been a huge contributor to the success of the pop-up shop, students are also heavily involved in the event.

Amelia Bainter, ATM major and Student Fashion Association club officer, explained her duties when trying to prepare for the Pop-Up Thrift Boutique.

“I’ve helped with a number of things for the pop-up shop. The officers work a lot on the logistics like where the shop should go. The hardest part is deciding where to have it because we had to find a good place to get people from the community and the school. Along with that ensuring that the word gets out and people know about the event,” Bainter said.

Julia Jacobs, ATM major, explains how she oversees surveying the spaces available for the event and making the reservations. This is her first year participating in planning this event and she explained how raising money can vary depending on the prices of certain items sold.

“Two years ago, when the event happened people raised anywhere from $7 to $300, it really just depends on how you set your prices,” Jacobs said.

Another student who is active when it comes to planning and running this event is Angela Kull. Kull is also an ATM major, minoring in Apparel Design and Retail Management. Her role is to make sure that people are signing up for the shifts so everyone has a spot that they can work. She also works two shifts at the shop and makes sure the merchandise is organized. This is her first year working at the ATM pop-up shop, but she explains how the group has been planning the fundraiser since last year, and started choosing locations once school started this fall.

The ATM students are expected to leave in February of next year for their trip.