Morg Mart Returns

Morg Mart finally reopened last week amid little fanfare. The much-troubled, student-run convenience store had been the object of many students' frustrations, but now its managers hope that it can recapture the spotlight which it once held.

Despite the problems it has faced, Morg Mart now gives students a second option to the Caf Store come an attack of the midnight munchies.

Charlie Ness is president of the Joint Business Society of Sy Syms, which runs Morg Mart. He explained that the purpose of Morg Mart is not simply to give students another place to buy a late night snack, but also to give students an opportunity to participate in running their own business. Morg Mart is entirely student run, calling on the skills of accounting, management and marketing majors to run the business successfully. "It's a challenge to make a successful business," he explained, "and Morg Mart gives students a chance to test their business skills."

There has been much speculation as to why it took Morg Mart so long to reopen this year, especially considering the success they've had in recent years. Throughout the confusion, some had even called on YCSC to wrest operations away from the JBS. Ness explained that reopening involved much planning, including developing relationships with new distributors. "We wanted to bring in new products, including Arizona Iced Tea, which recently became Kosher." Besides simply filling the shelves, Morg Mart faced other problems from within the University. YU Security and Facilities Management were initially uncooperative, not fully understanding who would be responsible. YCSC president Sruli Tannenbaum described the situation. "It was a scenario," he said, "in which someone came, seemingly out of nowhere, and asked YU to get the store ready to open for business. They don't respond immediately to requests like that." YCSC intervention and student pressure ultimately helped work out the kinks.

Now that Morg Mart is open, some students may be wondering whether the Caf Store will lose out, but Tannenbaum, who works at the Caf Store, wasn't worried. "It just gives students another place to go for a late night snack," he said. "They stock different items, so I don't think there will be any conflicts."

Ness echoed the sentiment. "I don't want to take any business away from the Caf, but I do want students to know that they can get a real meal here." Often students have late classes and can't get to dinner in the Caf. Morg Mart's hours, Sunday throu gh Wednesday, from 8:00-1:15, give them another place to buy dinner.

Yitzchak Moshel, a SSSB Junior, lives in Morg and eagerly awaited the opening of Morg Mart. He said, "I think it's great that now we can get different foods than what the Caf Store offered. It seemed as if they never had what I was looking for." Ness stressed that their selection distinguished Morg Mart from its Rubin counterpart: "We offer many different snack items, as well as hot dogs and Chinese take out." He said that they hope to bring in many more specialty items that the Caf Store can't offer. "We want to have Dougies one night a week, and have a selection of fresh sandwiches as well." By stocking different items than the Caf Store, Morg Mart hopes to attract its own crowd.

Besides the food, Ness stressed that Morg Mart stands out because of its location. "We have a nicer environment, with our own lounge and plenty of room for students to sits down and relax." The atmosphere at Morg Mart is very relaxing. There is music playing and students have a chance to socialize with each other. Ness stressed this as the key to Morg Mart's success. "We don't have a true campus, so any place where students can come together and hang out only adds to campus life." This, he noted, was a major motivation for opening the store.

Students reacted positively to the store's opening drawing over two hundred students in only two nights. Joey London, also a Morg resident, was excited about having a store in his own basement. "Now I don't have to go all the way to Rubin just to get a sandwich. In Rubin, they were very lucky. Now, we won't be so bad off." Similar responses characterized the students' overall view of Morg Mart. Others saw the benefits of a student-run store. Andrew Weiss, who works in the store, described what motivated him to work there. "It's a learning experience to be in charge of your own business. It's also a fun way to get to see people and interact."

While some startup money came from YCSC, Morg Mart is a self sustaining business. "We're not out to make a profit for anyone," Ness explained. "Any profits we make are either reinvested in the business or given to Tzedakah. This allows us to offer l ower prices than the Caf Store but still stay in business. We just want to give students a chance to work, eat, and enjoy." Tannenbaum echoed Ness's enthusiasm about the store. "It offers students a second option and is very convenient to those in Morg. I think it's great."