History
Ridley School Store History: A Look Back At Where It All Began
In 1961, the first school store was created at Ridley Township High School under the guidance of Mr. Francis Benischeck. Students were able to purchase practically any item needed for school activities. The store was easily accessible and open before, during and after school.
Throughout the 1960's, gym equipment, paper-back books, and other necessities were sold.
Mr. Benischeck continued to run the store throughout the 1970's. Students learned how to count inventory and sell merchandise. School supplies, popular novels, bus tickets and gym uniforms were all available for purchase.
Students in the 1980's were able to earn money while working in the school store. Under Mr. Stanley Swider, they earned minimum wage and worked at least 20 hours per week to sell merchandise and assist in managing the finances.
More apparel was sold in the 1990's. Students would purchase clothing in an effort to remember Ridley High, their alma mater.
With the help from The Ridley Educational Foundation, Mrs. Rosato, Mrs. Milewski, and Mr. Louth were awarded a $5,000 grant to start the new school store.
Throughout the summer of 2016 the name and logo was created and finalized as "The Locker".
Before The Locker could become official, there were many steps necessary that had to be taken before it could be opened.
The Locker was set to open October 14, 2016, with the help from The Locker Staff and the carpentry class they had only 7 weeks to build the business.
The Locker officially opened Homecoming weekend in October 2016.
In January 2017, The Locker expanded their sales online and created The Locker website.
In January 2018, The Locker Staff donated $3,500 of profits back to the community. Boeing provided another grant for the creation of the "Makerspace" to begin making apparel in-house.
With the grant from Boeing, The Locker was able to start manufacturing their products in the new Makerspace.
The Locker now has social media accounts to expand the business and create a new market for sales.