WC Wisconsin News

University of Wisconsin Eau Claire students are celebrating the long-awaited opening of a T-Store in the lobby of Towers dormitory.

With construction of the store starting as far back as in 2021, many students are thrilled with the establishment now finally being open for business after a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic-related delay.

“I don’t have a car,” student Ellen Heunisch told WEAU. “So the nearest Kwik Trip is like down the road and it’s like a 20-minute walk. So if I just wanted something like a bag of candy or something, I could just go down a couple of flights of stairs and then get some candy.”

Fellow student Ella Freeman also noted how much more convenient things are now, “especially with the walk to Kwik Trip being like down the hill in the winter, it’s definitely a lot more difficult to get there.”

Owners of the establishment said the overall goal is to provide students with a safe and convenient place to shop. The store’s current hours are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., but the university plans to modify operations going forward based on student feedback.

“We believe that this is a good thing for the for the student population,” Armando Chacon, general manager of Blugold Dining, told WEAU. “I think I mean, depending on campus, I mean, there would be more safety than go to the street. So I believe that this would be a good thing for them to utilize this instead of going out so late night.”

At the store’s Oct. 3 grand opening and ribbon cutting, students enjoyed free samples as well as raffle prizes that included a gaming chair.

UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt noted that more changes could come to the store as the school receives more feedback from students about how things are working.

“We continue to make progress in these areas and try to listen carefully to what our students are asking for and figure out a way to provide it,” he said.