From hot sauce to hand-knitted stuffed animals, this year’s Small Business Fest had a lot to offer passersby.
The president of e said there were about 50 tables lined up in the library quad on Saturday.Entrepreneurship Club and event organizer Nicholas Macaluso.
The table was filled with interested buyers throughout the day, including sophomore nursing major Jamie Redmond. bright pink table vanity table Just outside the booth library.
“Everyone here is so nice,” she said. “I like looking at small businesses and networking and everything.
Redmond runs a body scrub and lip balm business called Nelly’s Cosmetics, named after her middle name Janelle.
Redmond said she had made 10 sales by around noon and was very happy with how the day was going. This was Redmond’s first time selling at Small Business Fest.
“I was actually a little nervous because I just started this business over the summer,” she said. “When I heard about the business festival, I thought, ‘Why not do it?'”
This year, Macaluso and the Entrepreneur Club had 64 people register for the event, and 50 of them attended.
He said those interested were sent a QR code linking to a Google form with more information.
Last year, business owners had to contact Macaluso directly via email to register. He said the new process is much smoother.
Students weren’t the only ones checking on the business. University President Jay Gatrell said he and his wife, Chris Donovan-Gatrell, had a great time at the festival.
“We bought some lip balm and some really nice waffle croissant stuff. It’s amazing. I think we’re also buying some crochet stuff,” he said. “My wife and I are just enjoying the day.”
Across from Redmond’s table was a table full of plants run by both the Botany Club and the Beekeeping Club.
Many of the plants for sale were cuttings propagated in campus greenhouses, said Isabella Rose Gonzalez, a Botany Club member who managed the table.
Propagation is a form of plant maintenance that involves cutting off parts of an overgrown plant and replanting them elsewhere. When the cutting is placed in soil or water, it will regrow into an entirely new plant. The beekeeping club sold pressed flowers and leaves from around Charleston on and off campus.
“We just wanted more people to get involved, get interested and reach out in a positive way.” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, who runs some of the botany club’s social media and designed the stickers on the booth, said the table has been very successful so far.
The Botany Club entered the Small Business Festival with the goal of making $30, but by the midway point of the festival the club had made $50.
Gonzalez said the plant club chose to sell at the festival to raise money for year-end travel. The venue has yet to be revealed, but the club visited Whiteside Gardens last year.
“It was really fun,” Gonzalez said. “It was a really nice walk in the garden.”
To sell at Small Business Fest, booth attendants had to pay a $20 fee in cash.
Macaluso said the dues will go toward hosting the Entrepreneurs Club and future events.
Vendors pay this fee and set up their tables at vendor check-in one hour prior to the start of the event.
Juliette Woodruff, a sophomore Spanish major, and Rashaun Pierre, a freshman fashion merchandising major, were participating in the festival with their business, Rare Moon Co., which sells sustainable fashion and accessories.
The two sold custom collage posters, handmade bracelets, necklaces, earrings, hair clips, custom Altoid tins, small storage jars and lighters.
“We use a lot of recycled materials and vintage collage magazines to make many of our products,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff said much of the material came from a Goodwill Outlet bin in Jacksonville, Illinois.
Most of the accessories sold are made by Pierre.
Pierre said it takes about an hour to make the bracelet. When an accessory doesn’t work as expected, Pierre sometimes starts over by changing the length of the attached bracelet or charm.
“A lot of times it’s just me liking the atmosphere,” Pierre said.
According to Pierre, creating Altoids takes time because the duo has to cut magazine clippings to size and collage them on a small scale. Necklaces take more time due to their larger size.
In addition to the collage posters on the stand, Rare Moon Co. was also accepting orders for custom posters.
Interested buyers can leave their contact information in the book and submit a mood board, aesthetic, or interest list for Woodruff to create a poster based on.
“We’ve been manufacturing for a long time, but the business has only been up and running for about two years,” Woodruff said.
Macaluso said she was pleased with this year’s student turnout, but hopes to expand turnout next year by doing more community outreach.
“This event is by students, for students, but of course I want to be more involved in the Charleston community,” he said.
Macaluso said the Entrepreneurship Club is considering marketing to Charleston High School in the future, possibly setting up at high school football games.
The next Small Business Fest will be held in the spring.
“I’ll definitely check it out in April,” Macaluso said. “We support student businesses.”
Alli Hausman can be reached at 581-2812 or at: athausman@eiu.edu.