The sharp smell of hardwood fills the space of Starkville’s Idea Shop. In the back, power tools fill the workshop. In the storefront, products of new companies like coffee, magnetic longboards and pottery decorate the shelves.
The theme tying these products together is pasted on the wall in large letters, ‘MAKE.’ Local Main Street shoppers pause as they walk, intrigued by the uncommonly modern storefront. This space was built by student client specialists Michael Lane and Jacob Miller.
The place is a new shop and makerspace. Adhering to the spirit of ingenuity, the Mississippi State Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center) has partnered with the school of human sciences to create this incubator space for young entrepreneurs. The Idea Shop was long in the making, and the founders are excited about the store’s potential.
The shop features two spaces: the front serves as the retail section of the store, while the back serves as the physical workshop for product creation. The E-Center searched for a permanent home for the makerspace, which was originally housed in the Patterson Engineering building. Now, its long-term space is in downtown Starkville.
An USDA rural development grant funded the project. Additionally, three private donors contributed—one being Turner A. Wingo, a 1967 MSU business management graduate and member of the MSU Board of Foundations. The new workshop is named the Turner A. Wingo Makerspace—a tribute to Wingo’s generosity.
E-Center Director Eric Hill worked closely with Charles Freeman, assistant professor of the Fashion Design and Merchandising Department, to bring this idea to life.
Hill said he is thrilled about the opportunities the shop will offer to aspiring entrepreneurs from rural communities.
“With the way the internet is, somebody in Starkville has just as much of an opportunity to start a business that could truly change the world,” Hill said. “That is what excites me the most, and the space is a physical embodiment of that thought.”
Hill said he believes the space will strengthen the bonds between the community and the university.
“Sometimes, I think the community feels unaware of the things students are doing, and students have a lot to learn from the community members,” Hill said. “We think this project is already showing signs of improvement.”
Hill said he thinks the shop will also encourage students to place roots in Mississippi.
“Connections strengthen the possibility that students will stay in Starkville or in Mississippi, and that is a huge priority for us,” Hill said.
He noted the relationship with the community is a selling point when people decide where to settle.
“People want to live at a place where they feel connected, and having a product on Main Street is a great way for people to feel more connected to the community,” Hill said.
Director of Outreach Jeffrey Rupp agreed the shop is intentionally unifying in nature.
“We plan to work with STEM classes, the Boy Scouts, the Starkville Arts Council. We want this to be a hub of creativity, and we think this is a pretty novel approach,” Rupp said. “It is good that we have the identity of the campus and the city, but we want to blur those lines. We want to create more activity downtown, we want more young people downtown. We would love the idea of mashing up a college student, maybe a retiree and a school group working on a project.”
Young business owners are as thrilled about the shop as the founders. Madison Grant, senior business administration major and cofounder of Jitterbean’s, a coffee company, expressed her excitement for the ways the store will benefit her company.
“It is a place where I can put the product on Main Street, get real people to try it and get feedback for that product without having to put in all the work of a brick-and-mortar shop,” Grant said.
As a full-time student and business owner, Grant said the shop is a convenient way to further the company without excessive labor. Jitterbean’s is currently being tested on shelves of the store, and the store has already helped her improve her marketing.
“It has made me look at our packaging and see how we can make it more appealing to consumers,” Grant said. “There are so many aspects that we can improve, and this will help us see what is next for us.”
Karissa Logan, a fashion design and merchandising graduate student, serves as the graduate assistant and retail manager of the Idea Shop. Logan, whose graduate research is based on incubator spaces, said she is ready to see the space fully-running.
“I am very excited to have consistent hours and consistent opportunities for local entrepreneurs,” Logan said.
At the Idea Shop, Logan’s role is that of a curator for customers.
“I tell business owners their numbers and how the product is selling, and let them decide what to do with the information,” Logan said.
The shop will have products with rotating themes, lasting about six weeks each. Currently, the theme of products is “make.” The next product theme will be “warmth,” coming in January.
Though the grand opening date has not yet been set, the shop aims to fully open in early January. Until then, the shop will be open Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m., Fridays from 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 to 6 p.m.