Correction appended.
On Friday, students can explore the various creations made by multicultural businesses on campus and around Ohio University at the Multicultural Pop-Up Shop. The shop will feature works from 13 businesses, each owned by people of color, highlighting their creations ranging from home decor to fashion and collectibles.
The event, which is occurring for the first time this year, is hosted by OU organizations, including Being Black in College, Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, Unified Sisters and Underclassmen Connect.
The shop will be held on Friday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Baker University Center, room 242.
Maurice Swift, a senior studying community and public health pre-med, came up with the idea for the pop-up shop as a way to enable multicultural small business owners across Ohio to come and network with others while showcasing their individual work.
“With it being Mom’s Weekend, (it will allow) them to expand their small businesses throughout the state of Ohio to all the parents that will be here, all the students,” Swift said. “We can introduce people, network, but at the same time, support small, marginalized community businesses.”
Noël Gordon, a senior studying psychology, is the president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students and assisted in the formation of the Multicultural Pop-Up Shop. Gordon said she will also be showcasing her own creations at the event, featuring work from her business, Drinks & Tings.
“My business is I make custom, personalized cups,” Gordon said. “I make beer mugs, glasses, stainless steel tumblers. I make personalized alcohol bottles if somebody is turning 21, little stuff like that.”
While Gordon is sharing her own creations at the shop, she said she is excited to be a part of the event to engage with the other businesses that attend.
“My mom is coming down with her own business and my aunt is coming down with her own business,” Gordon said. “I’m excited to… just to be able to have all my family show off their businesses, we can meet other businesses, hopefully connect in certain ways.”
Dianna Johnson-Ward, well-being support manager at the Office of Health Promotion, was encouraged by students involved in the event to showcase her small business, called Charm’D Life, where she sells Croc Jibbitz and hand-dyed Nike socks.
Johnson-Ward said the importance of this event is that it provides college students who are business owners to share their work in a larger setting, enabling them to have a larger outreach.
“I think there's a lot that goes into having a small business, so having students and people from just around the community and different things, having small businesses and being able to do that while in school, I think that's phenomenal,” Johnson-Ward said. “From my perspective, of course, I want to sell my things, but I'm really interested to see what the students have.”
Swift emphasized the importance of attending the event is to support fellow Bobcats as well as Ohio businesses to assist in the growth of their businesses and the recognition they receive.
“Especially now during these hard times, it is just even if you don't come out and buy anything, but just spreading the word… (helps them) get as much attention as possible,” Swift said. “You can come down here and meet somebody and they can want to take your business's name across the country, so that's why people should come support, see people, get to know people.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated the incorrect name of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students and Underclassmen Connect. This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
