It’s a small thrift store, but there are those that love it. Nestled in Massachusetts Row, the Dartmouth Free Market sits a mere 30 seconds from the path frequented by many on their way to Foco — yet, most students never make the detour to the dimly lit North Mass basement.
With items like jeans and long sleeves nicely organized, you can pretend you’re in an upscale thrift store — until you turn around and see the glittery piles of flair needing excavation and realize that the Free Market is a space that is uniquely Dartmouth. As I walked through the store for the first time, the bright colors indicative of flair certainly stood out — bright pink shorts, sparkly sweater vests and well-loved shirts from Green Keys, Winter Carnivals and Homecomings past gave some much-needed cheer and energy to the quiet and out-of-the-way basement. Yet while smaller than the conventional thrift store, the Free Market carries an abundance of additional options, from last year’s style of jeans to stacks of flair in bright neons to, surprisingly, pencils.
Run through the sustainability office by student volunteers and workers, the Free Market was created by Roan Wade ’25 in 2023 in response to sustainability and equity issues, according to past reporting from The Dartmouth. Students were throwing out clothing in excellent condition by the ton at the end of each term, while lower income and less cold-acclimated students were finding themselves without the proper attire for the harsh Granite State winters.
While the Free Market initially began as an effort to provide cold weather clothing to those in need and cut down on waste, its offerings have since expanded. According to Alexa Beltran ’27, who has been working there since this summer, the Free Market is a great place to “get costumes and flair” for any occasion. From dance groups such as Street Soul to DOC clubs, students will often obtain flair for events from the Free Market, she added.
Andrea Soto ’28 said that she utilizes the thrift store “for costumes for [her] dance group, Street Soul” and to find “better quality clothes than [she] could afford [her]self.”
For others, including Free Market aficionado Audrey Kim ’27, the Free Market is a place to destress. Kim said that she first found out about the space after spotting an advertisement on the way to Foco during her freshman fall and now visits the store “maybe twice a term, typically after a big test.” For her, a trip to the Free Market serves as “a little reward or break” and a great way to unwind, “rather than going shopping and spending real money.” She explained that although she doesn’t go in looking for anything specifically, she typically comes out with clothing essentials and a variety of different tops.
While often recommending the Free Market to friends, Kim typically goes solo “on a whim.” A large part of the beauty of the Free Market is the lack of commitment it requires: Most pass within 100 feet of the market daily, there is no financial burden involved and the space is inclusive and accessible to all, according to Kim.
The Free Market is currently trying to “put more sweaters out” as temperatures lower and many students from warmer latitudes will need new clothing more suitable for the cold weather, according to Beltran. This time of year, parkas, winter coats and most dense clothing flies off the shelves, she said.
One of the Free Market’s biggest problems currently is its “lack of visibility, especially at the beginning of term,” Beltran added. Most of the donations come at the end of the term, which is inconvenient due to the seasons changing dramatically between terms, the staff being busy with end-of-term activities and the difficulty of washing and reracking the clothes in a useful timeframe for students, she said.
“Every end of term we get so many donations, which just means that people kept buying more and more stuff that we already had,” Beltran said.
Another issue the Free Market faces is that those who need the clothing most — typically freshmen who haven’t yet updated their wardrobes for the northern latitude — don’t know about the Free Market, as it is largely upperclassmen who are utilizing this campus-wide resource, Beltran said.
Mikey Wise ’29, a fellow first-year visiting the Free Market for the first time, said that he had acquired a “cool Outdoor Research bucket hat,” which he predicted would soon become a staple of his wardrobe.
“It’s pretty cool down here,” Wise said.
Wise, however, disagreed with Beltran’s opinions about visibility. When asked if he would recommend the Free Market to friends, he replied, “No, because I want the good things to myself.”
The hours are hard to track down — it’s typically only open for two hours a day at some point in the afternoon — but that only adds to the hidden gem feel of the hard-to-find market. The Free Market epitomizes Dartmouth at a much smaller scale – it’s small, hidden in a quiet corner of the world and working to provide a niche and unique community-building service and experience.
