REUSE is a student-run registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to increase accessibility, reduce waste, and promote a circular system of consumption by way of providing affordable and pre-loved clothing, school supplies, and dorm materials to students and community members. We do so by collecting, storing, and then reselling goods donated to us at heavily discounted prices on and around the Georgetown campus.

We began as a pilot project in May 2022 with support of the Earth Commons, but officially became incorporated as REUSE in September 2022. Our first sale as a nonprofit corporation was in March 2023.

We are not a recognized student organization at Georgetown, but rather are a student-run nonprofit business.

We are a nonprofit tax exempt corporation with 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. As for legal documents, we have articles of incorporation, bylaws, meeting minutes, required licenses, and insurance.

Yes, we are an approved Farmers Market Vendor. We have a second hand business license which allows us to sell used goods and general liability insurance with Georgetown University listed on it which allows us to sell on campus. If we are selling outside of the farmers’ market, we received special approval to sell from the University. 

The money from sales first goes to financing our business’ operation expenses, which includes but is not limited to licensing costs, insurance, virtual office rent, our website, and storage equipment. For instance, our Second Hand Business License cost $650.

After our operational expenses, any additional profits are donated to a DMV non-profit that we select each year as our educational partner. We also host fundraising sales with organizations such as Rangila and SAPE where a portion of proceeds from one sale are donated to their non-profit cause.

We sell clothes, dorm items, and school supplies, with clothing being sold primarily during each semester, and dorm items and school supplies being sold at move-in. We are a Farmers Market vendor and sell every Wednesday in Red Square from 11-4 during the Farmer’s Market Season. We also partner with specific organizations to host sales at their events.

We currently don’t have a set time for when we switch clothes on the rack, but they will be on the rack at least for three sales in a row.

All items are final sale; however, if you purchase an electronic item that is not functional, we will offer a refund. Under unprecedented circumstances, returns may be granted at the Board’s discretion.

Aligned with most thrift stores, REUSE conducts a quality check on all clothing items before sale, but does not wash them before sale. We recommend that all customers wash their purchases prior to wearing them.

Our pricing system takes into account the condition and the original price of the item. We research and estimate the retail price of the clothing item, and then take between 65%-90% off its initial retail price, based on its condition. All prices for clothing items are capped at $26.

No, we do not buy clothes from individuals. If community members are interested in selling their own clothes through Georgetown Bartering and Selling or other means, we encourage them to do so. For the items that individuals don’t have the time to sell or repurpose themselves, REUSE donation sites ensure that those items don’t end up being wasted or thrown away. We also support all other groups on campus pursuing projects that will decrease waste or increase accessibility on campus even if they seem to have similar operations to REUSE.

We have permanent donation bins throughout each Fall and Spring semester in the lobbies of Southwest Quad and Arrupe and in other dorms. Please follow our Instagram to get up to date information on where our bins are located! We also accept donations when we sell at Farmers Markets. Individuals can also donate by coordinating with our Instagram or a member of REUSE directly.

We are in the process of building out a framework that will guide how we properly repurpose any clothes that do not sell. As of now, we sort items based on quality, and use those ratings to determine whether to distribute them to local nonprofits or textile recyclers. Our excess item distribution framework (still in development) aims to guarantee that all the clothes we do not sell end up repurposed in some capacity, and do not get thrown out after being donated to another organization.

Georgetown REUSE is organized into 4 Branches (Executive, Operations, Finance, and Marketing) and 4 Teams (Operations, Marketing, Finance, and ReStitch). The Branches are led by the CEO, COO, CFO, and CMO and the Teams are led by the Head of Inventory, Head of Sales, CMO, CFO, and Head of ReStitch.

Check out the hiring page on our website, georgetownreuse.com/hiring, to see all available positions and the hiring timeline. You can also find it through the linktree on our instagram: @georgetownreuse. All open positions will also be advertised on Instagram as the positions open up.