By Natalie Barden

Artville is preparing to relocate for the second time since the renovation of Hewitt Hall began in the fall of 2021. 

“We’re waiting for the final touches to go into the store they built for us,” Susan Raby, director of The College Stores at SUNY Oswego, said. Raby predicted Artville will move to the new storefront, located on the second floor of Lanigan Hall, within the next few months. 

“It will be a hallway store,” Raby said. The new, specially-constructed space will wrap around the corner closest to Penfield Library within Lanigan Hall.

Artville currently operates out of room 103B, also on the second floor of Lanigan which was previously occupied by The Ontario Bagel Company. It will function as a shipping and receiving area for Artville when the store moves again. 

“Right now the space is extremely small,” Raby said. A limited snack and beverage selection is available in place of a cafe. 

Still, the store continues to provide art students with a variety of visual arts supplies, as well as a selection of general school supplies for students in other disciplines. 

Artville reopened in Lanigan during the fall 2021 semester after closing for the entirety of that previous summer. It will likely remain in its current building after the Hewitt Hall renovations are complete, Raby said, who has “absolutely no idea” why Lanigan was chosen to house Artville. 

“I’ve been very vocal that I’ve been very unhappy,” Raby said of Artville’s move to Lanigan. 

She is unaware of who was ultimately responsible for choosing the store’s new location, but she was not personally consulted.

Raby named a number of concerns that fuel her distaste with the Lanigan location, including issues with transporting supplies in the building’s elevators and a lack of general foot traffic compared to other on-campus buildings. 

“The elevator just isn’t meant to be a freight elevator,” Raby said. Many art supplies sold at the store, such as large boards and sketch pads, are delicate and need to remain flat to avoid damage. The building’s service elevator continues to make maintenance of these supplies during transportation from the first to the second floor difficult, Raby said. 

Loud noises during transportation of supplies from the building’s entrance to the elevator are also an issue. 

“Anytime we move things to the elevator, you completely hear it in the classrooms,” Raby said.

While employees make an effort to move supplies to the elevator in between class periods to avoid disrupting students and professors, Raby said it is not always possible to do so. 

Although many art students are aware of Artville’s reopening, Raby said she does not think most students know about it. 

“Part of the problem too is we didn’t even know where we were going to be until the end of August,” she said. “I’m really fortunate that my staff worked really hard to bring it together, but it’s a really reduced space.”

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian