Students all over campus are now able to sell or advertise their goods and services at a new pop-up shop in the Offutt School of Business. The Cobber Collective has launched this year to give students those opportunities for free.
Anna Benson, the marketing coordinator for OSB, spearheaded this pop-up shop.
“I have always been interested in the concept of pop-ups. They are always changing and bring something new to the environment,” said Benson.
The Brew, a small coffee shop located on the second floor of the OSB, closed in the fall of 2020, leaving an empty space. Benson was trying to think of ways on how to revamp the old Brew space.
“Last spring, we decided to make it a vending area and put a microwave in there too. The other half of the space would be dedicated to the student pop-up,” said Benson.
The space is for all students of any major to join. There is no need to be a business major in order to use the Cobber Collective. Emily Graupmann is a Nursing major at Concordia and runs her own business. She would be able to use the Cobber Collective if she pleases.
During COVID-19, Graupmann started embroidering with her grandma. She said that her grandma loved to embroider dish towels and they did it as a past time together. Graupmann realized she could do this on clothing.
“It started as a fun little thing to do during COVID and then my friends would mention they want to buy them, so I started posting them on Instagram. Then it went up from there,” said Graupmann.
Graupmann’s business is called Em Broiders Clothing. She sells hand embroidered apparel such as crewnecks, t-shirts, hats and canvas bags. Graupmann currently sells through her website and Instagram (@embroidersclothing) she set up for her business. She hopes to set up shop soon in the Cobber Collective.
The slots to sign up to but a business in the Cobber Collective are mostly open right now. The way to sign up is by going to concordiacollege.edu/cobbercollective. On the site, one could fill out a form and, on the form, there are places to put the information needed in order to run a business, what the business is and the date and hours one would want to set up shop during.
The time slots are two-week time blocks. The businesses would rotate after those two weeks are up. A business is allowed to use the Cobber Collective once a year but depending on popularity and availability of the business, they can do once a semester.
Unfortunately, food and beverage businesses cannot participate in the Cobber Collective due to laws, licenses and regulations.
“I think of the Cobber Collective as a way to promote what students do outside of their class time. I had a lot of friends in college that ran their own businesses but now have their own store. I think having the Cobber Collective is a nice incentive that the students can utilize,” said Benson.
There is currently one student in the Cobber Collective who will be set up in the space through October 14. Students still have the chance to sign up and put their business in the pop-up. If a student runs a business that is a service, they are welcome to advertise their business in the Cobber Collective area.
Be First to Comment