Where to Shop

Find everything you need to outfit your BU dorm room


Click on the red dots to find out more about stores in the BU vicinity.

You’ve arrived at your dorm, unloaded the car, and realized you need more storage bins, another flash drive, and some munchies for the MicroFridge. You can get just about everything you’ll need for the school year right around the BU campus.

Housewares
Bedding, towels, and room accessories can be purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Boston. The store’s Web site even has a back-to-school checklist. Did you buy extra-long sheets for your dorm bed?

Economy Hardware, 1012 Beacon St., Brookline, has practical items for your dorm or apartment, such as kitchen appliances, irons, and fans.

If you have the time, and a car, make the trip to IKEA, the discount furniture megastore, a half-hour away in Stoughton, Mass. For directions from the BU campus, click here. An added perk to shopping at IKEA is its food court — be sure to try the Swedish meatballs.

Electronics
BU students get a discount at University Computers, 533 Commonwealth Ave., which sells computers, software, printers, and even iPods. If you still haven’t purchased a computer, read University Computers’ buying guide. It’s important to consider your intended major when computer shopping. For example, film majors need more virtual memory than English majors.

Nearby as well are a Best Buy, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Boston, and a small Radio Shack, 730 Commonwealth Ave.

School supplies
Staples, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Boston, has deals on office supplies such as pens, notebooks, calculators, and flash drives.

Barnes and Noble at Boston University, 660 Beacon St., Kenmore Square, is the University’s official bookstore. Buy course books, magazines, BU sweatshirts and other clothing items, and school supplies.

Outerwear
For those chilly fall days, find fleece vests and waterproof jackets at REI, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Boston, and Eastern Mountain Sports, 1041 Commonwealth Ave. Eastern Mountain Sports offers a 15 percent discount when you show your Terrier Card.

Food
For those late-night study sessions, you’ll want a fully stocked MicroFridge. Head to Shaw’s, 1065 Commonwealth Ave., for Easy Mac and Hot Pockets. If your taste leans to organic foods, try Trader Joe’s, 1317 Beacon St., Brookline. And the Asian grocery store Super 88 Market, One Brighton Ave., Allston, carries fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, and hard-to-find Asian foods. While you’re there, grab lunch at the food court or try the bubble tea.

Miscellaneous
You can find most of the items you need for your dorm room at Target, 180 Somerville Ave., Somerville, but you’ll need a car.

And if you have too much stuff for one car, there are several U-Haul locations in the Boston area. It’s a good idea to reserve trucks and trailers in advance.

Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu. Edward A. Brown can be reached at ebrown@bu.edu.

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Where to Shop

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  • Amy Laskowski

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    Photo of Amy Laskowski. A white woman with long brown hair pulled into a half up, half down style and wearing a burgundy top, smiles and poses in front of a dark grey backdrop.

    Amy Laskowski is a senior writer at Boston University. She is always hunting for interesting, quirky stories around BU and helps manage and edit the work of BU Today’s interns. She did her undergrad at Syracuse University and earned a master’s in journalism at the College of Communication in 2015. Profile

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There are 9 comments on Where to Shop

  1. There is also a Target, closer than the one in Somerville, I believe, in South Boston off of the red line. Get off at Andrew and take the shuttle to the shopping center, which includes a Target, BestBuy, Home Depot, and, I think, a Staples.

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  4. You can get to know nearby neighborhoods and support local business if you head over to a stretch of Harvard Ave. north of Beacon Street. The area is easy to reach by train or bus, and the walk between Comm Ave and Beacon St. takes about 15 minutes.

    One of Boston’s best bookstores, Brookline Booksmith, is in Coolidge Corner near Trader Joe’s (green C line).

    Harvard Street north and south of Commonwealth Ave. (stops on green B line and 57 bus) has many more local shops, selling everything from beds & linens to small appliances, in a range of prices.

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  6. what were you thinking?
    Virtual memory is a hardware thing buddy
    it uses your hard drive.
    you partly transform your Hard drive’s memory into RAM so that you will have more “RAM memory” for you to put instant data in.
    Its kinda hard to explain but as a computer programmer i have to say you are a nerd…

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  8. Andrew is easily accessible on the red line… Maybe a 20 minute train ride and then the shuttle time. In a car it is a lot closer. It only takes about 10 minutes tops to drive there, it is basically a mile up Southampton street past the BU Medical Center on Mass Ave.

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  9. You can also take the number 8 bus from Kenmore square to the Target in the South Bay Mall or just take the BUbus to the BU medical center and walk about a mile down Mass ave.

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