Beloved GVSU Surplus Store Shuts Down After 13 Years

After 13 years, Grand Valley University’s Surplus Store is shutting down.

The Facebook announcement popped up in my feed, and my first thought was honestly, shoot, why am I just hearing about this place now?

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A Campus Staple With a Long Run

I’ve written before about some of the wild and interesting finds that pop up at Michigan State University's surplus store, things like giant letters from the stadium board, a Bosco stick cart, even an antique carriage. Of course, there are also the more expected items like furniture, computers, and everyday campus equipment. Still, the GVSU Surplus Store sounds like it lived in that same universe of unexpected secondhand discoveries.

GVSU Surplus Store via Facebook

The store first opened on GVSU’s campus in 2013 before relocating in 2018 to its Walker location at 429 Standale Plaza NW. Over the years, it built a reputation for offering used university items to the public at affordable prices, with everything from office chairs and electronics to bikes, pool tables, and even cars reportedly showing up at different points.

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At its core, the Surplus Store was never just about bargain finds, though that is often what people remember most. It was part of GVSU’s sustainability effort, aimed at keeping usable university materials out of landfills by reselling, recycling, or donating them instead. Items no longer needed by campus departments were cleaned, tested, and resold to students, staff, and the public. It also gave student employees hands-on experience in business operations and sustainability while generating revenue that went back into the university’s general fund.

Now, that chapter is coming to an end.

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In a notice posted on the store’s website, the university wrote,

We are announcing the permanent closure of the GVSU Surplus Store as we begin winding down operations. We want to sincerely thank our customers, campus partners, and community members for supporting us through the years.

It also notes that a new disposal process is being developed, but no additional details have been shared yet. For now, surplus pickups and disposal requests are on hold until the start of the new fiscal year, which leaves a pretty big question mark about what happens in the meantime.

What Happens After the Store Closes

So far, it is still unclear what the replacement system will look like, or how surplus materials will be handled once the store officially closes. Back in January, the university had indicated it was shifting to an online-only ordering model with pickup, but that does not necessarily appear to be the direction things are headed now.

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On Facebook, the reaction has been a mix of appreciation and confusion. Some longtime customers are sharing memories of finding useful items over the years, while others are asking if there will be any kind of final sale or what will happen to remaining inventory.

Officially, the Surplus Store will close on June 30.