By Crawford Craig and Hunt Brabrand

Everybody knows that the Cougar Shop is home to all of the merch, gifts, and back-to-school supplies that you could need, but its influence and impact on Collegiate go much deeper than that.

Apelt in the Cougar Shop.

We interviewed Collegiate parent Mark Apelt about the Cougar Shop and his experience working there. He started volunteering for Collegiate 11 years ago when his son, Jake Apelt (‘27), joined the school in Kindergarten. Around the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he started officially working for Collegiate to help the short-handed shop. Now, he works 10-15 hours a week, helping when he can.

The Cougar Shop is well known for its merchandise, but there is much more thought that goes into it than one might think, as evidenced by the seasonal changes in stock. The Cougar Shop bases its inventory on the time of year and the needs of the student body. In the fall, the stock consists largely of back-to-school supplies, including pens, pencils, notebooks, and backpacks. The shop will also include gifts and toys, such as stuffed Cougies and Collegiate-branded items for new families. After the beginning of the year, their stock is largely based on the weather. During the fall and spring, the shop is largely focused on athletic clothes and short-sleeve shirts, and shirts for warmer weather. During the winter, you can find items focused on keeping you warm, shown by the copious amounts of Collegiate sweaters, sweatpants, pullovers, and quarter-zips. Even though the shop rotates its stock seasonally, one thing remains consistent: its commitment to the consumer and to making clothing accessible for all students by keeping profit margins low and enjoyment levels high.

Beyond the walls of the shop, though, the Cougar Shop employees handle more than just merchandise. They run anything related to internal apparel, including clubs and sports accessories. If a group needs anything ordered from an outside vendor, they go through the Cougar Shop, who then take care of the potential difficulty of online ordering. They also handle the outfits needed for special events, such as TEDxYouth@RVA and IELC.

Beyond clothing, the Cougar Shop also helps the school with gifts. They help choose and order different items to give to board members, new hires, people with birthdays, and even potential new students touring our campus. The Cougar Shop is a small part of Collegiate’s environment, but through its wide range of helpful services, it helps keep our school’s spirit high.

All photos by Crawford Craig.