The second student entrepreneur pop-up market was held Thursday, April 13.
Delta College students who operate small businesses were able to sell products and services on the Dolores Huerta Plaza.
Fifteen vendors were at the market, selling items ranging from jewelry to plants to miniature figures of nerd memorabilia.
Daniel Macveth, who sells stickers under the business Tired Cat, said he likes the idea of a pop up.
“It makes it so much easier to sell to other people, so I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Macveth.
The market is organized by the Business 29 class, taught by Dr. Andrzej Kobylanski. “The Chancellor of California Community Colleges wanted to infuse the spirit of entrepreneurship in the community colleges,” said Kobylanski. “Five campuses were selected and given seed money, which is how we could afford the stands.”
The first pop-up was held in 2019, originating from a class project the Business 29 students had to complete.
“The students had to learn how to run and organize a business, and with the incentivization from California Community Colleges, they organized the pop-up shop,” said Kobylanski.
Several of the students who were at the market learned how to run a business outside of a classroom.
Devin Brown, who sells 3D printed figurines of items from movies and videogames, said he learned mostly through the Internet.
“It has mostly been trial and error,” said Brown. “But I learned how to run my business through Youtube videos and guidance from my parents.”
Kobylanski said some students who have been figuring out how to run a business on their own have reached out to him for further help.
“You can learn online up to a certain point. If you want to scale up your business, then you need to know the more intricate parts of entrepreneurship,” he said.
This is the second time the market was held, with hopes that it will become an annual staple. In 2019, there were 29 vendors, including a collaboration with Delta’s Culinary Arts department. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the market from happening in 2020 and 2021. This year, there were only 15 vendors, but Kobylanski is optimistic for the future.
“As students return from campus, we will likely see bigger events,” he said.
There have also been students who participated in the event and are interested in learning more.
“The good thing about the market is that it is a great place to test their business and get a feel for it,” said Kobylanski. “There are students contacting me who are excited to learn more and improve their business.”