50 tables featuring student small businesses, products for sale and campus organizations will be at Norse Marketplace on April 23. The event will run from 11-5 p.m. and will surround Loch Norse and the Haile College of Business.
The event will be the first of its kind to host students from all across NKU’s campus with items to sell or businesses to advertise, said organizer and entrepreneurship student Sarah Lingren. From jewelry to vintage and athletic clothing to 3D figures, Lingren said the event will have something for everyone. Nearly 40 of the tables will be dedicated to students promoting their business and selling items to the community.
And the event will feature more than just small businesses—it will also have a live deejay and games from the Cincinnati Circus.
Norse Marketplace is organized by Women in Entrepreneurship and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, both of which Lingren is a part of.
Lingren said last fall, members of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization wanted to host an event bringing together lots of different businesses, almost like a career fair for businesses. After talking with professors and looking at logistics, the members decided it would be best to let students have the spotlight.
Meg Booker, a leader of Women in Entrepreneurship, had recent success with a flea market event within the School of the Arts (SOTA). Taking this into consideration, the groups set their minds on Norse Marketplace, combining the idea of a flea market with students being able to promote and advertise their businesses.
“It’s also helping students promote their businesses,” Lingren said. “Some of them don’t actually have anything to sell, we have a few that are photography students. They’re promoting themselves.”
When sophomore Melissa Perez saw an advertisement to sign up for Norse Marketplace, she decided it was the perfect time to launch the jewelry business she and her mom had been working toward.
“Me and my mom had been talking about expanding more and actually making it a business,” Perez said. “I talked with Sarah [Lingren] who’s in charge of [Norse Marketplace], and she said that it could be a really great way to do it.”
The business, called Tulips Accessories, will sell beaded bracelets, necklaces, rings and suncatchers at Tuesday’s event.
To help pull the event off, the student organizers applied for a grant through the Office of Student Wellness. Grants of up to $500 were being offered for organizations to host student events. Lingren said the grant funds are being used for aspects like the live deejay and signs put up around campus to advertise the event.
Considering this will be the inaugural year for Norse Marketplace, the organizers hope that success on Tuesday will mean the event can continue for future years. “I want it to be good enough this year that we can do it again next year,” Lingren said.
Booker encouraged students to come out on Tuesday and support their fellow students who are working hard to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
“You can come shop for anything, really,” Booker said. “If you’re looking to get some extra stuff for cheap, and get it from a student—a reliable source—that’s what I think [students] can expect.”