Clothing

Many of you come from warmer climates you may soon need to supplement your wardrobe with boots, hats, coats, etc. Also, keeping children clothed as they grow from one size to the next can be a challenge.

Clothing Exchanges and Cooperatives
Residents of University Village may swap used clothing through an exchange that is facilitated by volunteers who collect and sort the clothing. You can learn more during your residence orientation about this.

Consider forming your own exchange among friends and acquaintances with children. Since small children outgrow their clothing rapidly, you may want to agree to meet or pass on clothes every three to six months.

Purchasing Clothes
You will find many clothing stores on Grape Rd and in the two area indoor malls. See the Yellow Pages under “apparel” or “clothing”. Also the South Bend Tribune will carry ads and on Sunday, a great many supplements that announce sales.

There are also a number of consignment shops where you may sell your old clothing and buy clothing offered there on consignment. Clothing must be in good repair and ‘lightly worn’, however. Check the yellow pages of the phone book under Consignment Service.

Target, K-Mart, Wal-mart and Meijer’s are also good sources. Such stores offer clothing at retail prices, but you can expect items to be several dollars less than those offered at stores located in the mall.

Repairing Shoes
Most clothing stores, including the resale shops and discount stores, have a shoe department. There are also several stores that sell only shoes and related products. Payless Shoes, 519 W. McKinley (other locations are listed in the yellow pages), and Shoe Carnival, 5924 Grape Rd, feature a selection of shoes at discount prices.
There is a Red Wing Shoe Store, featuring high-quality leather shoes and boots, and a store specializing in Birkenstock footwear, Ernie’s Totally Birkenstock, Grape Rd Plaza at Grape and Day Roads. Ernie’s also advertises orthopedic services.

If you possess a particularly well-cherished, but well-worn pair of boots or shoes, you may want to consider having them repaired or resoled. You will find a few listings under shoe repair in the Yellow Pages and there is also a shoe repair counter at the Meijer’s store on Grape Rd.