Nestled snugly in the basement of Tamarack Hall, the Rusty Nail Co-Op (otherwise known as the Coop) serves as a student-led campus hub for self expression and togetherness.
It is clear that the Coop’s rich history has always been rooted in the cultivation of community. Formed over a decade ago, the Coop functions as one of the only Lewis & Clark organizations run solely by students.
Filled with mismatched dishware, local artwork and an array of cushy furniture, the Coop’s community center works to give students a sense of home on campus, something its members say LC is in need of.
“We do what we can to set up a space that we really believe is important and necessary for this school’s climate,” Coop Coordinator Marc-Anthony Valle ’22 said. “Having a really strong student space can do so much for the culture at LC.”
The Coop experienced a period of closure due to coordinator conflicts with campus administration in 2013, following allegations surrounding substance use within the space. But when current coordinators Mamie Hogan ’22 and Noam Jacobs ’22 joined the team during the 2019-20 academic year, the Coop underwent a significant revamp.
“Noam was super interested in getting the space going our sophomore year,” Hogan said. “We thought having a place on campus where students could hang out together in a student-run space would be amazing.”
The 2020-21 school year was a quiet one for the organization, as the COVID-19 pandemic caused most school groups to move operations online; this forced the Coop, an in-person operation, to close for the year. But this year, the Coop is back and ready to provide a welcoming environment for all students to enjoy art shows, concerts, viewing parties, workshops, coffee and the sense of home the LC community so closely associates with the space.
On Sept. 5, the Coop hosted its first show of the year, a vibrant concert from Portland-based singer/songwriter Johnny Franco. The sounds of Franco’s animated performance resonated across campus, giving students a taste of what the organization has to offer.
This year, the Coop hopes to continue to host an array of campus events similar to the Johnny Franco concert.
“We have another show coming up on Oct. 2,” Jacobs said. “This year we are reestablishing our historic relationship with KLC and collaborating on a lot of events.”
In addition to the upcoming concert collaborations between the Coop and KLC, coordinators will be working with the radio station to bring a series of workshops to the LC student body. These workshops will aim to give students valuable skills in areas not often addressed in a college setting. Among these is the upcoming sound workshop, which will teach students how to run sound for concerts and shows.
Another cornerstone of the Coop’s mission is its volunteer-operated coffee shop. To further foster an inviting student space, the coffee shop in the Coop serves hot and cold drinks at prices accessible to everyone. Frustrated with the quality and accessibility of coffee on campus, Nick Biesterfeld ’23 joined the Coop team this year to bring quality coffee to LC.
“All of our prices are actually just suggested donations (…) so the goal is just to provide a better option for students to have coffee on campus,” Biesterfeld said.
With the new school year fully in swing, the Rusty Nail Co-Op in lower Tamarack once again breathes with life. Its windows are plastered with information about upcoming events and its doors are soon to open again to the students who call it home.
“We’re super pumped to be back,” Jacobs said. “And you should be too.”
In an effort to reestablish regular hours for their coffee shop, the Coop is always looking for new volunteers to help keep their mission alive. Volunteers can sign up for training sessions and coffee shop shifts by emailing coop@lclark.edu, and can find more information on their Instagram, @thecoop_lc.
Photograph by Emma Krall
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