Tucked into the corner of the gym is Southwest’s very own gift shop, the Den. The Den supplies students with everything from school spirit wear to soda and various-flavored lollipops.
The school store is funded by the PTO, which buys the store items to sell. The profits from the store then go back to the PTO, which uses them to fund activities like school clubs.
Although marketing teacher Perri LaTerza oversees the store’s operations, students like junior Scottie Ketner fully run the store before and after school. Ketner says he enjoys working at the Den.
“I’ve made friends with most everyone who works at the store,” Ketner said.
The Den has become well-known throughout the student body for their large supply of lollipops.
“The lollipops are the biggest seller,” Ketner said. “We sell 800 to 900 lollipops a week.”
Lollipops have become so popular that some people are even breaking the law to get their sweet fix.
“Our biggest problem is kids stealing them,” junior Erikka Blevins said. “We have some kids who come in everyday and steal them.”
While lollipops have become popular with most students, some items seem to be falling short.
“Bumper stickers are definitely the least popular item,” Ketner said. “No one seems to want them.”
The Den is constantly getting new items in, along with supplying currently available items.
“We get new items frequently,” Ketner said. “For instance, we just got some new snow caps for winter.”
The Den will be getting specialty items too.
“We are getting mugs, those Nike dry caps, and we are now serving hot drinks like hot coffee,” LaTerza said.
The Den is even helping out with the schools green motif, rewarding students who are more environmentally conscious.
“If students buy a mug from the store and they bring it by, they can get free refills on hot drinks,” LaTerza said.
The store is also trying to boost school spirit while helping the community.
“We have new plan to boost school spirit,” LaTerza said. “We are giving coupons to students who turn in their old Blue Valley and West apparel. Then the clothes we collect get donated to a charitable organization.”
Whether it’s school supplies or gym shorts, odds are the Den has it.