Every so often, a group of students hoping to make it as business owners set up table-sized stores on the Quad and sell the things they’ve made by hand: jewelry, cookies, stickers, crocheted keychains and plushies.
Once a semester, a bunch of business students-turned- entrepreneurs join Hawk Trade—a showcase for student-created businesses—in the cafeteria. It’s a mecca for shoppers looking for low-priced, one-of-a-kind, cute-as-a-button items made by people just like us.
Why not shop there instead of at Amazon or Target? We’re all in favor of supporting local businesses, and there’s nothing more local than what’s available here on campus.
We know it’s a big ask in a world of overnight shipping. Still, we want to encourage you to wait for a pop-up shop to appear on the Quad or seek out one of these student artisans and spend your hard-earned money right here on campus.
Lately, it seems that our government is more likely to support billionaires than working-class people during hardships like the pandemic. So while we wait to see what the upcoming months bring, we want to urge everyone to invest in their local communities, starting with the one where you take classes.
The first image you picture when you think of your community might be your team members or your neighbors. But our community includes the classmates, faculty and staff we spend so much time with right here on campus. Let’s support them.
One of our favorite ways is through pop-up shops. Upcoming pop-up days are Wednesday, April 16, and Monday, May 5. Both are on the Quad from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hawk Trade is on Thursday, April 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Student Union building cafeteria.
The pop-up shops highlight all different types of student businesses, including those selling clothing and accessories and sometimes students offering services like home repairs and IT help.
Everything is reasonably priced, and some vendors even have deals for returning customers.
Truthfully, we were shocked—in a good way—by the quality and quantity our peers were capable of producing while keeping up with classes and other jobs they might have. And it just feels better being able to support a growing business, compared with always shopping with titans like Amazon.
The pop-up shops offer a chance to talk face-to-face with the creators of the products and even get an insight into why they started these businesses. Some of the businesses are completely self-run, while others are collaborations with family members.
But this isn’t the only option on campus to support the community. Last issue, we did a deep dive into business professor Shad Ewart and his students, who run a business selling rain barrels. Rain barrels are low-maintenance items that can help lower your water bills at home.
AACC also holds numerous free events each month that can help students who are on a strict budget.
During the first week of each month, for example, the Office of Student Engagement and the Health and Wellness Center host a produce market, often in the Hawk’s Nest or on the Health and Life Sciences Building’s patio. The event, known as Wellness Wednesday, allows students to grab locally grown fruits and vegetables for free.
Next time you find yourself about to press the “Buy Now” button in your online shopping cart, remember all of the unique handmade items available right here on campus.
Shopping locally benefits the seller and the buyer—and our community.
