For students living on South Campus, the 1630 Sherman Ave. Osco Drug is at once a drugstore, supermarket, school supply store and even a place to buy an umbrella during an unexpected downpour.

But when construction starts in late winter on the mixed-use Sherman Plaza development, the local orange-lettered drugstore that stocks study munchies alongside shampoo will move into a temporary location farther south on Sherman Avenue that is less than half its current size.

Jewel-Osco spokeswoman Karen Ramos said the company will try to cater to students in the smaller store but will be forced to stock fewer items.

“The trouble is, it’s only 4,000 square feet, so there’s not a lot you can put in that space,” she said. “We’re going to do our best to serve the students’ needs. We’re putting a lot of effort into putting items into that smaller space that will serve the needs of the neighborhood.”

Weinberg senior Vikas Wadhwa, who lives on Sherman, said he doesn’t mind driving to the Jewel-Osco grocery store at 1128 Chicago Ave. — so long as it sells the essentials.

“It’s just important when I need something in an emergency,” he said. “As long as the liquor department is still there, it’s fine with me.”

The temporary store will contain a pharmacy, health and beauty products, snacks and school supplies, Ramos said.

But seasonal items won’t fit in the temporary store, she said.

When the plaza’s condominiums, health club and assortment of small stores are completed, Osco will return to a 10,000-square-foot site on the block, slightly larger than its current location, which measures 9,000 square feet.

“It’s really going to suck because now when I need groceries I have to walk all the way to the Jewel [past] Dempster,” said James Ktsanes, a Weinberg sophomore.

Weinberg senior Nishant Shah said he owns a car but still shops at Osco once a week. Now, he said, he will to drive to the grocery store.

“It just makes it more difficult to get the basic stuff,” he said. “You have to go a little bit farther.”