With MU’s Trulaske College of Business being one of the top in the country, it’s no question that entrepreneurship is highly valued and constantly evolving here on campus. This semester, two new businesses have set up shop in the Student Center through a program hosted by Missouri Student Unions, experimenting with new methods of entrepreneurship and ways to connect with the community.
The Bridge was created by sophomore Blaine Thomas and sells trendy Missouri-related clothing, such as creatively embellished sports tees and several miscellaneous accessories. The store is 100% Tiger, with all items for sale created by students and alumni.
When Thomas, who has always had a passion for entrepreneurship, arrived on campus, he felt that some of the entrepreneurial programs “talked about entrepreneurship, but didn’t really do entrepreneurship.” This observation compelled him to create a brand that would flip the script with a more hands-on approach. He applied for the space in the Student Center once occupied by Threadbare, an immensely successful business spawned through the same program, with the vision of “bridging Mizzou entrepreneurs to the community.” Instead of setting up shop in the former Threadbare location, The Bridge is in the space previously occupied by the Digiprint center.
Roots is centered on the promotion of artwork through usable and contemporary mediums. These include posters, drawings, paintings, hats, T-shirts and laptop stickers. It exudes an eclectic vibe and showcases the creations of MU students (whether in the art department or not) while providing free advertising and a platform for them to professionally sell their work.
Encouraging MU’s art community was only one of the goals of juniors Hope Watson and Ashleigh Atasoy. The friends and business partners drew up their plan for Roots with the idea of fulfilling needs in both the Mizzou and Columbia communities. Cuts to elementary art programs in CoMo inspired the duo to partner with nonprofits and instigate a program that would bring together opportunities and “resources for kids to engage in creativity,” according to Atasoy.
As part of this program, created by the founders of Roots, MU art students lead free after-school art clinics for children of low-income families. Roots’ proceeds reflect the causes it was founded on, with 80 percent redirected toward the community (50 percent to student artists in the form of commission, 30 percent to fund the art clinics). The remaining 20 percent goes toward operational expenses.
The creation of both businesses can be credited to an entrepreneurial partnership between Missouri Student Unions and U.S. Bank. The latter provides $2,000 in seed money for new student-run businesses annually. Typically, only one application of many is chosen, but this year, both The Bridge and Roots were equally promising and feasible projects, so Missouri Student Unions also donated seed money for a second business to open. Protocol demonstrates that businesses occupy a space in the Student Center for no more than one year, but some sustain elsewhere well after their expiration, like [MizzMenus.com](https://www.mizzmenus.com/).
In addition to the program’s adequate financial aid, students are not responsible for rent or utilities and are provided the rare opportunity of opening a business in a location accessible to MU students, a community large in population and diverse in consumer demographic, according to Michelle Froese, assistant director of strategic communications for student and auxiliary services for Missouri Student Unions.
Both businesses are located in the west end of the Student Center on the first floor. Roots is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Bridge is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Missouri Student Unions entrepreneurial program can be accessed through [its website](unions.missouri.edu/entrepreneurial).
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_
