Molly Griswold and Emily Mosier
Troy University’s Student-Made store had its grand-opening ribbon cutting at the IDEA Bank on Friday, becoming the first of its kind in the nation and providing a physical location for student entrepreneurs to sell their products.
Student-Made provides 14 universities across the nation with educational resources, an online store-front and a low-risk environment to test the waters of creative commerce.
Troy’s is the first brick-and-mortar Student-Made store ever.
“I'm so proud of our students,” Hawkins said in a speech before cutting the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. “As I walked through the showroom, I saw so many beautiful things, and I'm afraid my wife will want every one of those things.
“I want to thank all of you. This is a wonderful idea. It always takes leadership. Leadership is the key. know the shadow of an institution, whether it's the IDEA bank or the city of Troy, the shadow of an institution never exceeds the shadow of its leadership. That's why leadership in today's world is so important, and I see leadership in abundance here today.”
Hawkins went on to say that it’s not just what you’re looking at, but what you see that counts.
“What we saw in this empty building, was far more than an empty building,” Hawkins said. “We saw opportunities.
“We saw a way to work with our wonderful community and help grow not only entrepreneurs and the university but also, this community. This facility is giving rise to lots of other developments. Together we can do so much.”
The grand opening consisted of a block-party styled event – complete with food trucks and guest speakers – held by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s really exciting, and the community of Troy just seems so tight knit, so to see everyone in support of this idea that we had so many years ago was really exciting,” said Student-Made co-founder Lindsay Reeth.
Reeth, along with co-founder Ryan McElhinney, traveled from North Carolina to attend the opening.
“We were just shocked by how awesome they look in person,” McElhinney said. “We wanted to pick everything up and hold it, and I thought, ‘wow, students actually made this.’
“It just makes it feel so much more real for us.”
Everything about the store is student-run, from marketing to managing. In return for working the store for two hours each week, each Student-Made business can sell their products at the IDEA Bank while retaining 100% of the profits. Troy University students are selling a variety of products, including fine art, clothes, make-up,perfume, custom press-on nails, greeting cards, crochet products and so much more.
The student business owners stood behind the ribbon as it was cut, wearing matching t-shirts and smiles.
“I'm really excited,” said Jessica Roberts, a senior interdisciplinary studies major from Tallahassee, Florida, and a vendor at Student-Made. “I barely slept last night because I was so excited, but I'm really grateful and excited for the opportunity.”
At the event, a frame containing the first dollar made from Troy University’s Student-Made store was presented to the Troy University Student-Made managers.
Director of the Troy University IDEA Bank, Lynne George, told Troy.Today that the partnership with Student-Made was a no-brainer.
“Opening a storefront at the IDEA Bank is something I have been working on for years now, but we simply haven’t had the capacity to operationalize it until now,” George said. “We have so many talented and creative entrepreneurs that are seeking outlets to sell their unique products, and the Student-Made partnership will allow us to provide that for them.”
The IDEA Bank is located at 63 South Court St. To stay up-to-date with the Student-Made store, follow the Instagram @studentmade_Troy. Patrons should note the store is cashless.
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