Shopping Sustainably: Rocky’s Boutique and the Flea Market

Ellen Jordan ’26 in News | May 3, 2024

Last Wednesday, April 24, marked the grand opening of Rocky’s Boutique, which was held in the Bathhouse Café in collaboration with McClellan Milkshakes.

The Boutique, founded by the McClellan House Community Service Representative Sarah Rodrigues ’25, is a student-run charity that collects slightly worn and new clothing from Lawrentians to resell. All proceeds and unsold merchandise from events hosted by the Boutique go to Dress For Success, a global non-profit that aims to advance women in the workforce. At the event, McClellan Milkshakes also raised money for the Secondary Education for Girls’ Advancement organization, which funds the education of girls in Tanzania and additionally equips them with leadership and business skills.

Rodrigues got the idea for a student-run thrift store last spring, and upon the encouragement of her mother, she executed her idea this fall. Regarding her choice of charity to donate the Boutqiue’s proceeds to, Rodrigues explained that it was her interest in female empowerment in the workforce that made Dress For Success the perfect fit.

“I did a lot of work relating to gender equality in the workforce last summer, and I also have my mom, who’s a working mom and one of my biggest inspirations. Because of this, it’s been great to be able to support women all around the world through donating proceeds from the Boutique to Dress For Success,” she elaborated.

Rocky’s Boutique was officially unveiled to members of the Lawrenceville community last November during a School Meeting, and following the announcement, Rodrigues organized a clothing collecting event at the Bathhouse where Lawrentians had the opportunity to donate clothing for the Boutique.

Reflecting on the Boutique’s debut clothing sale, Rodrigues said that she was originally nervous, yet was incredibly pleased with the turnout of the event. She credited the Boutique’s collaboration with McClellan Milkshakes for “drawing publicity” to the Boutique’s opening. “I was proud of the event since it looked like a lot of people had fun. Even if [visitors] didn’t buy clothing it was just a great opportunity for them to shop around and have a nice break from studying,” Rodrigues continued.

McClellan House President Alexandra Raymond ’25 praised Rodrigues’ leadership in the event, saying she “admired her determination” and was “impressed by how packed [the Bathhouse] was.” After finishing making milkshakes, she went shopping at the Boutique and bought a shirt and a dress. “I hope that this event lives on. It was so fun,” Raymond said.

The Boutique’s grand opening on Wednesday was followed by an Earth Day Flea Market on Saturday, which was hosted by Lawrenceville’s Sustainability Council in collaboration with the Boutique. Attendees of the flea market were in full praise of the event, and visitors such as Jenny Chen ’26 enjoyed having the opportunity to shop sustainably. “The Flea Market was a really fun experience. The concept of a student-run thrift store is such a great idea, I'm glad to see that it became a reality,” Chen said.

Frances Brooks ’25, who also attended the Flea Market, echoed Chen’s sentiments and noted that the high levels of student participation at the event made it a great opportunity to bond with her classmates. “It was just really nice to see so many Lawrentians turn up to the Flea Market, and an additional bonus was that I found some really nice clothing,” Brooks elaborated.

Regarding the Boutique’s plans for the future, Rodrigues hopes to organize a clothing collection in the upcoming school year and then hold a clothing sale each term of the school year.

“I think it was just nice to get a feel for how I want the Boutique to work this year. Running the Boutique has been such a rewarding experience, and I’m looking forward to using the momentum that I’ve gained from this year towards organizing more sales next year,” Rodrigues concluded.

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Shopping Sustainably: Rocky’s Boutique and the Flea Market