When shoppers come in to 3fifteen, they have to act fast. Falling in love with an item and deciding to come back to it later isn’t an option. The merchandise moves too quickly.

“It’s one of those things where they know that if they see something, they have to buy it then because it’s not going to be there tomorrow,” said Camellia Loojune, president of Syracuse University’s Students in Free Enterprise.

3fifteen, a thrift store that operates in conjunction with coffee shop Cafe Kubal, has seen significant traffic since it officially opened Friday. The store is currently in its soft opening phase and will have its grand opening Sept. 19.

The store is run by SIFE and local organization the Rescue Mission, which works to end homelessness and hunger. 3fifteen sells both men and women’s clothing, furniture, accessories and home decor.

So far, the store has experienced great success. 3fifteen is an entirely rebranded idea of the Rescue Mission’s Thrifty Shopper stores. When the store opened on Friday, Loojune said, it came in as the top seller.

“There’s another 10 Thrifty Shopper stores, two of them are a little bit larger-scale and usually top the sales, but on Friday with opening, we doubled their sales,” she said.

“I like it. I think it’s brilliant. I’ve shopped here twice already,” said Lucia Procaccaio, who graduated from SU with a degree in art history last spring.

Sylwia Dziedzic, a graduate student in the School of Information Studies who was shopping with Procaccaio, said the store was a mixture of the Salvation Army and Plato’s Closet, two second-hand stores.

“We already came here before,” Dziedzic said. “We’re probably going to return because they always have new stuff. I’m just surprised this hasn’t been thought of before yet.”

Currently, 3fifteen and Cafe Kubal are offering a promotion in which shoppers can fill a brown paper bag with donations and receive a free beverage from Cafe Kubal in return, said Nicole Fountain, project manager for 3fifteen and a junior retail management and marketing major.

The goal of the promotion is to bring in more donations from people who might be similar to potential shoppers, she said.

“Obviously, students are going to respond more to what other students are offering because we have similar tastes,” Fountain said.

Furniture, purses and SU apparel have been some of the most popular items among shoppers, Loojune said.

“There’s so much to like about this store because everything is unique and everything is one of a kind,” she said. “Every time you come in, you kind of fall in love with something new.”

Students who qualify for Federal Work-Study may apply to work at 3fifteen, Fountain said. She encouraged students to come into the store to inquire about opportunities. Students may also volunteer at the store.

Although the store is still in its soft launch, Loojune said the store will not operate differently after the grand opening. She said they simply plan to iron out any issues experienced thus far.

“We’re really into this full swing and are fully stocked and replenishing daily, the store is physically complete and staff is doing very well,” said Liz Poda, director of marketing for the Rescue Mission, in an email. “We’ll find some areas to improve upon, but we are open for business.”

Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Melvin T. Stith, dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina will be present at the grand opening Sept. 19, which will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Loojune said.

Published on August 29, 2012 at 3:22 am

Contact Casey: cffabris@syr.edu | @caseyfabris