Innovate 1858 student employee Julia Stoll, an apparel marketing and design major, works with inventory inside the shop in the Student Innovation Center on Monday afternoon. Photos by Christopher Gannon.
Iowa State's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship is on full display at Innovate 1858, the student-run retail store on the first floor of the Student Innovation Center. Shelves and racks are stocked with Iowa State-themed products designed and produced by students, faculty, staff and alumni.
"We are rare," said Emily Worrall, entrepreneurship Ph.D. candidate and Innovate 1858 store manager. "Other universities have tried this concept but have not been successful. A big part of that is the environment of our university and how it sees Innovate 1858 with a long-term vision."
Worrall said the experience led graduates to land jobs at Dior, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ulta and more.
Monthly pitches
Monthly product pitch events have occurred since Innovate 1858 opened in 2020. More than 50 makers have partnered with the store to sell their items, which range from T-shirts and baby clothes to honey and keychains. Innovate 1858 staff buy the items at wholesale price -- ensuring makers receive profit upfront -- and sell them at retail price in the store.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni pitch the merchandise team on their products, which range from the beginning of an idea to developed prototypes ready to begin production. The pitch sessions stay positive with feedback focusing on strengths of the product and areas to improve. During pitches, the team focuses on certain questions for makers:
- Why do you want to sell at Innovate 1858?
- Who is the product for?
- What is the material and labor cost of the product?
- How will you scale up production?
A faculty advisory board from the College of Health and Human Sciences helps determine which products are purchased and a sale price. Store sales and assistance from the college are used to purchase products to sell in the store.
"Whether they have a fully developed product or just a concept, we guide them through development, branding and marketing," Worrall said. "Once their products are in our store, we showcase them through social media, our website and in-store promotions to highlight the creators behind the products."
Worrall said a strong relationship with the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship allows Innovate 1858 staff to direct makers to the center if the idea is better suited for a different market. Several CYstarter businesses have sold products in the store.
Learn by doing
Worrall designed and teaches an experiential, four-credit course for all students who work in the store. The course can be repeated, with students taking different tracks each time, advancing from assistant to manager and director. Topics include entrepreneurship, e-commerce, small business management, public relations and more.
"Anything that happens in the store I have a lecture on, and students are taking what they are learning directly to the store," she said.
Students choose what part of the business they want to operate in -- for example, merchandise, product development, inventory management, marketing, human relations, social media, etc. -- and receive frequent opportunities to learn about other departments to see where their interest lies. They work up to 20 hours a week in the store.
Innovate 1858 student employee Julia Stoll, straightens merchandise on a display table.
Continued support
Worrall makes a concerted effort to connect with and continue to sell products of Cyclone alums. Each month features a different "Maker Chat" to introduce the people behind the products, and student employees visit businesses and owners to learn about the product and hear directly from the entrepreneur.
"We do a lot of social media outreach to alumni who have businesses or faculty who have a side hustle, to add them to our space," she said. "The tagline 'For Cyclones by Cyclones' doesn’t just apply when you are a student at Iowa State."
