Fans converse outside of the popular Duck Store, located across the street from the University of Oregon campus. The Duck Store is a non-profit organization that has been around Eugene since 1920. The store provides an economic boost to the community; outside of the Nike items, almost everything you can find in the store comes from a local business. Along with supporting local businesses, the Duck Store gives a large percentage of their profit back to the school: They’ve given around 7 million dollars to the University in the past 2 years.Molly Champion, a Junior at the University of Oregon, smiles as she folds up a shirt for a customer. Molly has been working at the Duck Store for four years, and absolutely loves being a part of the Duck Store work force, “We’re basically one big Family,” she says.Molly Champion, a Junior at the University of Oregon, writes down product information onto a Duck Store bag in preparation for a product transfer. There are 12 Duck Stores located in the state of Oregon, and the stores in Eugene often transfer items back and forth throughout the week.The Duck Store sets out their special gear for Parents’ weekend at the University of Oregon. The store often puts out specialty items for different events, and puts out different gear depending on what sports are in session. On game days, the store has around three times as many staff working, and spend an extra two hours the night before organizing the store and preparing it for the chaos of game day.Junior student Molly Champion assists customers in finding an item online. The Store has the ability to put items on hold at other stores, providing customers with the chance to get the product they want, even if it isn’t at their local store.
