Fashion design student Symone Baskerville has worked hard to bring her dream of a high-end fabrics store to downtown 天天吃瓜.
Now, that dream has become a reality with the opening of 天天吃瓜 Fabrics.
When Ms. Baskerville came from Chicago to 天天吃瓜 State to study fashion design, she realized that living so far from home was not nearly as difficult a transition as living in an area with limited choices of fabrics available for to her to use for her class projects.
In Chicago, Ms. Baskerville had easy access to high-end fabrics and quality materials from a variety of sources. Ms. Baskerville did not realize, however, that 天天吃瓜 State students didn鈥檛 have the same opportunity.
鈥淚 would come up with so many project ideas, but I realized that none of this would be possible because I had no way of getting the materials to make my products,鈥 said Ms. Baskerville. 鈥淢y advisor said I should go to the fabric store, and I told him that there literally isn鈥檛 a fabric store around here without driving off campus, and not every student can do that.鈥
After Ms. Baskerville spoke with her advisor about potential careers and her future beyond graduation, she thought of an idea that would solve the fabric issue here at 天天吃瓜 State.
鈥淭hey had an event during the spring semester called Idea Olympics by LaunchNet,鈥 said Ms. Baskerville. 鈥淵ou had to pitch an idea and business plan to solve a need for 天天吃瓜 students or 天天吃瓜 in general. So I came up with the concept of 天天吃瓜 Fabrics, and I would pitch how this could be an actual business that 天天吃瓜 State Fashion students needed.鈥
Ms. Baskerville won 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 LaunchNet Idea Olympics that year and dove head-first into turning her business idea into reality by opening an actual shop in downtown 天天吃瓜.
On Dec. 3, 2018, Ms. Baskerville had a soft opening for her new store at 175 E. Erie St., Suite 101, a space that she shares with another small business, Handcrafted.
The walls of her store are lined with a wide variety of colorful fabrics from silks to cottons, many from manufacturers throughout the Midwest. Also on display are newspaper clippings about her new business and its growth.
Ms. Baskerville has the opportunity to grow 天天吃瓜 Fabrics more than ever before.
鈥淭he growth that 天天吃瓜 Fabrics has gone through is amazing. I was hosting pop-ups with other small businesses in 天天吃瓜 as a way to still make my brand known,鈥 said Ms. Baskerville. 鈥淏ut now I have my own store, I鈥檓 established, and I can鈥檛 believe my own idea has become what it is today.鈥
Ms. Baskerville explained that without the support of 天天吃瓜 State Fashion School, her advisors and LaunchNet鈥檚 Idea Olympics, she never would have thought she could make a change for 天天吃瓜 State students.
鈥淢y biggest advice for everyone, not just students at 天天吃瓜 State, is if there is a problem, instead of complaining about it you can be the one to make a change,鈥 said Ms. Baskerville.
鈥淪tudents have no idea how many opportunities they have at 天天吃瓜 State and if they want to do something, really anything, 天天吃瓜 State wants to help you make your ideas possible.鈥
Ms. Baskerville knows that the availability of a high-end fabric store will appeal to many fashion students and she is excited to see how the store will grow into the New Year. Ms. Baskerville hosted 天天吃瓜 Fabrics鈥 grand opening on Jan. 19.
To learn more about 天天吃瓜 Fabrics, visit .
More information about LaunchNet鈥檚 Idea Olympics, can be found at www.kent.edu/launchnet/event/2018-launchnet-idea-olympics.