Park’s DECA had their grand opening for the STORiole on Monday, Nov. 18. Selling slushies, snacks and merch, the STORiole is back and better than ever in its new permanent location found in the lunchroom. After a year of temporary locations, the STORiole is ready for students to shop and show off their new Park merch.
According to DECA advisor Abby Lugo, preparation for the opening of the new STORiole has been in the works since last school year. She said students have had to adapt their plans many times to accommodate the permanent room not being ready until recently.
“We’ve been preparing for the opening of the store for the last year, plus because we were in a temporary spot last year,” Lugo said. “We’ve been pivoting, not opening in this space because it wasn’t ready for us, and then making sure that we have a grand opening promotional week to celebrate the accomplishment of actually getting in here.”
According to junior Zach Stillman, students have been preparing by updating the amenities and furniture. He said the store’s main focus will be on their new clothing, but you can also find snacks and treats.
“We’ve been completely ordering all new furniture, getting a new slushie machine, really forecasting the entire design of the store,” Stillman said. “We’ll be selling a lot of new clothing this year. We’ve got a lot of winter options, along with just the regular clothing that we’ve offered for a while. In terms of food, we of course offer our slushies with chips and candy.”
Senior Alexa Nguyen said the goal when preparing for the opening has been redesigning what students think of when picturing the STORiole. They wanted it to represent the popular interests of the students.
“We are investing in new things, like mannequins and new prints for our clothes and just trying to change the narrative of (the store). The store has been so traditional for so long, and we want it to be up-to-date and more modern for kids, for what kids nowadays are more familiar with,” Nguyen said.
Stillman said as one of three store managers, the class has been working hard to get the store up and running. He said there are groups with different tasks that contribute to the functioning of the store.
“I’m one of three managers of the store. Together, me, Ari Rose and Franklin (Inamagua) worked really hard on getting this whole store together,” Stillman said. “We’re always working in a team. Everyone has different pods of people that they’re working with constantly. But then again, as a business, you have to work with every part of your team, so we got a good community going in the store.”
According to Lugo, she makes sure students know what they need to be doing and how they should complete their tasks if needed. She ensures everyone has something to work on during class.
“I advise the school store operations class, which is in charge of running one of three businesses, and this one would be the STORiole. I’m kind of like their coach,” Lugo said. “I tell them what deliverables are due to me, and I will outline and say, ‘Hey, you owe me a grand opening promotional campaign’ and so I do help them break it down into smaller tasks if need be, and to allocate out so that everybody is working on something during the class time.”
Nguyen said the new space is different from past years because of its new layout. DECA is focusing on making the new STORiole a positive environment for all students.
“The new story space is nice. I feel like a lot of people are not appreciating the fact that it’s a lot nicer than what we had a couple of years ago. It’s really open and modern,” Nquyen said. “We’re trying to introduce it as a welcoming environment for people just to come in and look at our merch, or even just shop.”
Lugo said she’s thrilled about the new STORiole location because of the important amenities that allow STORiole to expand and offer students a wide range of products. She says she’s thankful to the district for collaborating with DECA to ensure the room fits their needs.
“I’m very excited that it was included in the plans when we redid our cafeteria and very relieved that those districts have value in providing this for our students,” Lugo said. “In running a business that serves food and drinks, we have to have certain amenities like having a three count sink or hand washing sink, so the district investing in all those things for us to be able to run this business has been amazing.”
Stillman said he anticipates the STORiole will be busier than in past years with all of the new updates as well as opportunities for lessons that will keep students busy during class time.
“The STORiole is going to be busier than it has been in past years, and we’ve had tough locations with all the construction, so now that we have a place that people can consistently come to, it’s going to be something I look forward to. It’ll be a lot busier, and then during class, we’ll be down in the STORiole, doing a lot of lessons and a lot of lab learning stuff,” Stillman said.
The STORiole is located in the lunchroom and will be open during all lunches.
