On April 23, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) student businesses had the opportunity to sell their goods at the Maverick Marketplace hosted by Sustainability Council and Entrepreneurship Club.
The Maverick Marketplace took place in the Plaza at the center of campus, inviting all students to take a look and support their fellow students.
The event gave students a place to promote their goods and hard work and grew the support for these businesses by giving students and community members a chance to buy from local businesses, further fostering the community on campus.
Maverick Marketplace was established to support and promote student-run businesses, and offers a unique platform for students to showcase their products and hobbies with the campus community. It enriches our culture by promoting inclusivity on campus and supporting students’ innovative products.
Sophomore psychology major and Coordinator for GSA Abby Brownel started a business called Surfer Pug Studios. Brownell makes custom prints and buttons that are hand drawn and generally feature TV show characters. Her art can be found on Instagram @surferpug.studios.
“My freshman year of highschool, I just started making prints and then I made buttons and then I was like, why don’t I sell them, so I made it a tiny business and from there it kind of extended and grew into what it is today,” Brownell said.
Sustainability Council helped students make free terrariums while selling secondhand clothes and shoes for $1 and Entrepreneurship Club had an information booth. Other students had booths with custom art, plants, spices, bags and so much more.
Happy Humans Jewelry is run by three CMU students: Ella Adler, Morgan McNair and Jana Coop. They use beads and wire found around town and from relatives to make their goods to sell at local markets.
One of the founders took an entrepreneurship class and had to create a business plan, so the three put their heads together and decided to start making jewelry. Since then, their handmade jewelery have been sold on Etsy and Instagram where they can be found @happyhumansjewelry.
“My favorite thing [to make] is anything with a wire, twisting wire and working with it is so fun,” Coop said.
Adler added that it has been incredibly fun to look through beads from her grandmother and thrift stores to make new creations. Her favorite thing to make is the beaded earrings, even though they take a long time.
Many students stopped by the booths and bought from businesses there.
“I think it’s nice to see the impact that everyone’s gonna bring to the [CMU] community, especially sustainability, reused clothes, bracelets, and to see other peoples hobbies that you wouldn’t get to see,” CMU sophomore and criminal justice and spanish major Valanie Johnson said.
This event helped provide invaluable experiences to students, and will continue to foster the growing campus culture of CMU.
