[103] Raiders’ Closet to celebrate grand reopening Oct. 1 in more spacious quarters

MURFREESBORO — The proprietors of Raiders’ Closet are flinging the doors open wide for a grand reopening in its new MTSU location.

The repository of gently used business clothing for students to wear for job interviews and other professional activities will welcome all visitors from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Room 327 of the Keathley University Center, next door to the Career Development Center.

“(Career Development Center Director) Bill Fletcher and his crew in the CDC are always willing to help students,” said Dr. Virginia Hemby-Grubb, a professor in the Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship. “And now that Raiders’ Closet is right next door, we can ensure that every student puts his or her best foot forward in those first few seconds of a face-to-face interview for that first job.”

All items in Raiders’ Closet are free to students, and they can keep the clothing and accessories permanently.

Previously, the closet was located in the Business and Aerospace Building since its inception in January 2013. However, it was open only from 2 to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

From now on, the regular hours for Raiders’ Closet will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will be staffed by a graduate student Monday through Thursday and by Hemby-Grubb on Fridays. Hemby-Grubb and her husband, Dr. Skip Grubb, have put in hours of labor preparing the closet for the grand opening.

She said she and her husband shopped for racks and accessories and her husband spent the better part of a week, as well as Saturdays, putting racks on the walls.

“Now that we have completed our tasks, I am working to get all of the clothing items arranged by size for both men and women and to ensure that our display in the front area is visually attractive,” Hemby-Grubb said.

At present, the closet has about 120 women’s suits and 70 men’s dress shirts, but shoes and accessories are in short supply. Men’s black dress shoes and women’s dress pumps with closed toes and heels no higher than one to one-and-one-half inches are needed.

Monetary donations also are welcome through an MTSU Foundation account. Gift-in-kind donations may be made through the Development and Foundation Office. Instructions are available at http://tinyurl.com/qc682me.

“We have had several instances where students needed an interview suit and our inventory did not have the needed size,” said Hemby-Grubb. “Access to monetary funds through the Raiders’ Closet foundation account allows us to immediately purchase a suit for a student in the specific size he/she needs from a consignment shop in the local area or the Goodwill stores.”

Either monetary or clothing donations may be made to Jaye Kiblinger in the Department of Business Communication & Entrepreneurship office, Room N429 of the Business and Aerospace Building, anytime Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

To arrange for your clothes to be picked up in front of the north side of the building, call Kiblinger in advance at 615-898-2902.

For more information, contact Hemby-Grubb at 615-898-1369 or Virginia.Hemby-Grubb@mtsu.edu.