Market Monday should become a regular campus event because it allows student entrepreneurs to showcase their products and expand their clientele.
Students like me are always looking for ways to support a local, Black-owned business, especially when that person happens to be a fellow Rattler.
The most recent event held during homecoming lived up to the hype of an “Epic Return,” with about 30 vendors in attendance on the quad. Cosmetics, haircare, personal hygiene products and FAMU apparel were among the items being sold.
“We got nails, we got lashes. We got perfume. We got clothes. We got food. It’s just a blessing to see all these young Black people, young Black entrepreneurs out here trying to do their own thing, do their own hustle,” Abdul Apata, a FAMU student, told WCTV.
When hundreds of students drop flyers every hour, it can be difficult to find legitimate businesses that can provide the services you require in GroupMe. Market Monday alleviates that stress by allowing you to meet the person and try their products for yourself rather than taking a chance.
Merch Monday, a similar event held on campus during FAMU’s election week, brought together student campaigners and entrepreneurs looking to connect with the student body.
At this event, I was able to find the products and accessories I needed for my natural while also supporting a Black-owned business and a fellow Rattler. I was able to see the quality of the products I was purchasing firsthand and establish a new relationship with the owner.
“Being at Merch Monday was another opportunity to put a face to the business,” said Kevina Dixon, a third-year interdisciplinary major, and the owner of Kae’s Kurllection, which provides accessories and products for natural hair.
“For the most part, I was never posting my face, just my products, and people would be buying from me and not even know that this is my business,” she added
Due to our hectic class and work schedules, few students on campus have time to search or even remember to ask someone when we need a service or product.
This type of event not only benefits individuals who are marketing and selling their products, but it also benefits the university.
“A lot of the vendors here had to become partners with the university to sell some of the things they are selling today, which brings money back into the university,” Trayvon Cooper, the chairman, told FAMU 20 News. “As students at the university, it’s giving them the chance to put their businesses out in the front light.”
On “The Hill,” Rattlers need more Market Mondays.