Cal Poly Mustang Shop for student made products.

A part of downtown San Luis Obispo since 1993

The Cal Poly Mustang shop reopened in June 2026 at a new location in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Despite moving multiple times over the decades, Cal Poly has had a downtown store location since 1993.

When asked what is exciting about this new location, Store Manager Ian Rodarte responds, “Location, location, location. The traffic we see from people traveling to and from the adjacent parking structure is much greater than the traffic at our old location. Our new location is larger than our previous one on Higuera. It features abundant natural light and high ceilings. This helps create a welcoming environment for visitors to shop and also helps to highlight our products.”

Cal Poly’s first shop was the El Corral Bookstore, which opened in 1933 in the basement of the Clocktower adjacent to Dexter Lawn. In 1970, the bookstore moved to the University Union Building, where it is today.

The Cal Poly Downtown Store opened in 1993 near the corner of Morro and Higuera streets. In 2012, the store was rebranded as the Cal Poly University Store. In 2016, it moved to the corner of Garden and Higuera streets, doubling the store’s size and providing a modern, inviting retail environment for shoppers. Recent years, 2021 and 2022, saw an extensive remodel of the campus store. In 2022, both the campus and downtown stores were rebranded as the Cal Poly Mustang Shop.

Unique student-made products

The downtown location offers items that you can’t get anywhere else, from Champion hooded sweatshirts, Cal Poly license plate frames, student-made jams, chocolate, olive oil, ice cream, and other unique gifts. “These products are favorites among alumni, students, and visitors looking for distinctive Cal Poly merchandise and locally inspired gifts,” Rodarte adds.

The Cal Poly Mustang Shop also highlights student entrepreneurs by selling their items and supporting their business endeavors through the school’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) Program. Shopping downtown is an opportunity to support CIE students.

“We are very excited to share space with CIE. This only adds to the customer base we built at our previous location and adds the ability to collaborate on connected events,” he says.

Mornings seem to be the busiest time for shopping, and downtown events, such as the Thursday Farmers Market, bring in more customers. Cal Poly merchandise is popular with families and alumni. And the variety of products makes the store a great place for gift and souvenir shopping.

While textbooks are not sold at the downtown store, it is a pickup location for online orders. Students can conveniently order books and course materials online and choose any Cal Poly Mustang Shop location for in-store pickup.

The Cal Poly Mustang Shop is located at 1144 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo. Open daily, Monday –Saturday 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Thursday, and Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. For more information, visit bkrstr.com/calpolystore/home or call (805) 853-2062.

— Maylia Baird