The face of the row of student businesses on the main level of Gregg House has changed slightly this year.
Bears’ Bikes, a bicycle rental shop, and Campus Easy Sales, a service aimed at selling customers’ items online, have opened in the space formerly occupied by The Mane Location.
“We are very excited to have these two new businesses,” said Karen Grimes, operations manager for the Student Entrepreneurial Program. “This brings the total number of student-run businesses to eight, with more than 38 participants. The program is flourishing and gaining in popularity each year.”
The Student Entrepreneurial Program was created in fall 1999, and the first few businesses opened their doors in spring 2000.
Bears’ Bikes rents Schwinn 21-speed mountain bikes to students for a yearly fee of $150. Renters are provided guaranteed free maintenance for the year and a lock, and bikes can be stored during the winter break.
“We thought having a bicycle-rental company on campus would give students the ability to rent a bike for a year at a much lower cost without worrying about shipping costs if they want to ship their bike from home, or worry about the hassles of bringing it to campus on the top of their car,” said sophomore Sam Gordon, one of the store owners. “Bears’ Bikes will also reduce the number of cars on campus, reducing pollution along with parking problems.”
Campus Easy Sales provides the service of selling items on eBay. An employee picks up the item the customer wants sold, helps write a description of it, prepares a detailed ad copy, takes a digital photograph and lists the item on eBay.
When the auction is finished, the customer is informed and a store employee ships the item to the buyer.
“We put together a business plan modeled after other eBay drop-off stores around the country that were gaining a lot of momentum and interest,” said senior Phil Katz, one of the store owners. “We thought that there would be a similar demand and need for this service at the University.
“Our slogan is ‘Drop in, cash out. We’ll take care of everything in between.’ That’s the nature of the business. You do nothing and still earn money.”
The Student Entrepreneurial Program is open to all University undergraduate students. The primary objective is to fill the storefronts with businesses that provide goods and services appealing to residential students.
Students interested in starting a business must complete a business plan and present it to an advisory board for approval. If there is a storefront available, the owners sign a lease agreement with the University for the school year.
To encourage student entrepreneurs, the University pays a small subsidy for rent, pays for the utilities and offers access to voice and data services in each storefront. However, students are on their own to “make it or break it” in the world of business.
For more information, e-mail Bears’ Bikes at sgordon@wustl.edu, or contact Campus Easy Sales at 935-5286 or campuseasysales.com.