Innovation at the SpiderShop

Gina Foster, the new director of the SpiderShop, has a long history of working in retail. From Talbots to the BassPro Shops, Gina has 28 years of experience serving customers.

Foster was born and raised in Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She began her career in retail management and specialized in revitalizing older stores by going in and cleaning up, helping rebuild the team, and assisting with any customer service issues.

In the 1990’s, Foster oversaw 12 Talbot’s locations and has also been the director of operations in human resources for Hawthorne and Hawthorne and grew fond of outdoor sports while working for L.L.Bean. Comfortable moving around for various jobs, Foster’s work with Talbots brought her to Virginia, where she has been ever since.

Foster joined the SpiderShop team in November of 2022 and has brought several new ideas to the table. Most noticeably, Foster has been working on visuals and focusing on a “Spider lifestyle,” by remerchandising. Foster hopes that the SpiderShop will be a “fun, warm, welcoming environment for everybody,” where students will stop into the SpiderShop to check out the latest styles or to talk with the staff.

The SpiderShop is taking steps to become more sustainable, through its partnership with ReFried, a company based in New Bedford, Massachusetts that works with college campuses to repurpose used clothing items. It is Foster’s hope that in the future students will drop off old merchandise to be transformed into vintage clothing, tote bags, and hats.

Foster is passionate about stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, and her two Maltese puppies named Mojo and Lulu. She has three grandchildren and is most proud of her loving relationships with family and friends.