Marketplace Under the Oaks showcases student-led businesses

A new dedicated showcase in Fountain Market in Clohan Hall will allow student-led businesses to sell their products.

The new Marketplace Under the Oaks initiative will be showcasing the products of student-led businesses in Clohan Hall through an initiative led by The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Elon Maker Hub and Elon Dining.

The marketplace is located in Fountain Market in Clohan Hall.

Located within Fountain Market, the new Marketplace Under the Oaks display case opened Friday, Feb. 26, and will feature products from dozens of student-led businesses, including jewelry, clothing, artwork, accessories, masks, cookbooks and more.

“We think of creativity as being the fuel for entrepreneurship,” Doherty Center Director Alyssa Martina said. “To that end, we celebrate our creative class of students for launching amazing side businesses that capture the creative spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The initiative kicked off Thursday with a pop-up event around Chandler Fountain in front of the Koury Business Center and Clohan Hall. Student entrepreneurs manned booths circling the fountain to display and sell their products. Among those participating Thursday were:

The Travelin’ Teacher – Caroline Durham ’23
Sydney Paige Studios – Sydney Gubner ’21
Art + Homes – Trinity Swepson ’24
Faded Front Door – Lindsey Patterson ’21
Climate Change Apparel – Matthew Mitten ’21
Sneakers by Sophie – Sophie Blumenfeld ’23
Good to See You – Stephen Hawthorne ’21, Andrew Veilleux ’21 and Sean Hess ’21
Advanced Placement Clothing – Scott Goldstein ’21
Catie’s Creations – Caitlin Naughton ’21
Elon U Thrift – Jakob Reuter ’23 & Grace Granger ’22
Storage Scholars – Connor Hickey ’22

“Finding this unique way to meet the needs and passion of Elon students has been very rewarding and an important way to celebrate the nature of entrepreneurship that underscores the creative spark in everyone,” Martina said.

Claire Bach ’21, marketing and social media scholar intern with the Doherty Center said that more events like the one Thursday will be coming this spring along with smaller pop-up events.

Along with providing space for student businesses to showcase their products, Marketplace Under the Oaks also supports the development and marketing of their ventures, including free marketing and promotional materials, free one-on-one business counseling services, networking events, free spaces for pop-ups on campus and more.

Bach said those participating in Marketplace Under the Oaks bring to the table a variety of perspectives.

“We have those who sell physical products and services, while others are entrepreneurial in other ways: such as visionaries in the arts, food, beauty, and more,” Bach said. “We understand that many in our network and those considering joining in on all of the fun may not necessarily have products or services for sale but are still entrepreneurial at heart. We still want to include them to amplify the work that they are doing regardless of whether they have a product or service to sell.”