The Entrepreneur Club recently hosted a Pop-Up & Prosper Marketplace event at Eastfield to support students and local vendors. During the market, students were able to showcase their own businesses and were able to sell some of their products. The booths consisted of clothing, arts, food and more. Some of the vendors shared what inspired them to make their business, making them unique from the rest.
Nicole hosted an art booth where she showcased some of her favorite art. She started painting during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to connect with her community. All of her pieces are based on the life of many African Americans. Nicole has always been inspired by African American life and nature. This inspiration moved Nicole to create her favorite art piece, a canvas of a personified Mother Nature sitting down and letting her hair flow through the air.
Todd, a student from Richland Community College, showcased his business where he produces coloring books for children. His coloring books are aimed at helping children to learn their ABC’s and numbers. His products are based on the content in his Youtube channel, where he teaches many topics geared towards children.
After seeing that coloring books helped his daughter with learning the alphabet, Todd decided to enter the market, developing multiple coloring books. “Learning about how to sell kid content, you have to learn from the best,” Todd stated. “Search on how Dr. Seuss, or even Winnie-The-Pooh, helped to connect with the young audience and [taught] them morals.” Todd used free outlets in order to produce the books, including a free version of Photoshop, AI for ideas and Microsoft Copilot to finalize the product. He publishes his items on Amazon, and is able to print out copies to bring to events, such as this one.
Willie, an Eastfield Economy professor, hosted a booth selling products from Africa. These included knives with animal prints, keyholders, bracelets and other artisan crafts. Willie has seen the creativity of how the process of the products are made, such as carving patterns or using different techniques for shapes. Willie also likes to use his business during his economy class as a tool to teach about supply and demand. He hopes that his business will enhance culture in the community. Buyers from Willie’s booth loved the style of his products.
The event was informative, with students being able to see first hand what goes into the making, developing and managing of a business. While learning, they were able to buy products, supporting local artisans and entrepreneurs, making this event beneficial for all.
