Willa Jones arranged the last necklace on her display and stepped back as customers filtered between the rows of vendors at Soda City Market.

Some stopped to try on her jewelry. Others made purchases. Whatever remained at the end of the day, she said, she could still sell online through Student-Made.

Jones, a junior marketing and entrepreneurship student at the University of South Carolina, runs Willa Wear. Her business is one of 23 involved in Student-Made, a student-led organization that provides young entrepreneurs with a platform to sell products and develop business skills.

“It takes all the scary parts out of being a student business,” Jones said. “When you’re a student, you have so much on your plate already. … The idea of like, growing, owning your own business and everything that comes with that into the mix can be very intimidating. But … (Student-Made) basically makes it as easy as possible to just make a little money on the side while you’re a student.”

Student-Made operates chapters at colleges across the country. At USC, the organization was restarted in spring 2023 by Rachel Gulczinski, now a senior biology and women’s and gender studies major.

“I really wanted a place to like sell my crafts or just like be with people that also crocheted or, like, did crafty things in general,” Gulczinski said.

The group hosts pop-up sales on the campus’s Greene Street and shares booths at large markets such as the weekly Soda City, where vendors typically pay individual fees. By selling together, members do not have to worry about that financial burden.

“We’re at Soda City here, where a booth is, like, kind of expensive, and it’s a really intimidating market for a student to be by themselves,” Gulczinski said. “But with this, we have about 10 creators that get to sort of sit together and sell together and experience this market in a way that they probably wouldn’t be able to if they didn’t have Student-Made.”

Gulczinski said the experience can translate beyond college.

“Our alumni have always talked about how much it has impacted their ability to sell themselves in the future and talk to customers and, like, be involved in sales if they’re going into business,” she said.

Students with businesses selling items such as accessories, baked goods, crochet pieces, apparel and more can apply to join the organization. A team of managers coordinates events, maintains communication with the national headquarters and plans workshops and pop-ups. As community engagement manager, Jones helps organize activities such as guest speakers, finance workshops and goal-setting sessions.

The organization also provides an online storefront where customers can browse products outside of in-person markets. Content Creation Manager Rylee Matthews photographs items and gathers promotional materials for the website and social media.

“Because Student-Made offers a website platform, you don’t have to worry about making your own website or paying for your own website,” Jones said. “You don’t have to worry about creating content, because we have Rylee taking beautiful photos for you.”

Resources such as these drew in junior anthropology and geography student Ellie Dawkins, who joined Student-Made in spring 2025 as creator of E and B Arts.

“I was really interested, especially since I was trying to grow my small business,” Dawkins said. “I’ve been making jewelry for a while, but I haven’t really been able to sell it. … They’re giving some marketing strategies and everything like that to be able to sell it.”

One thing she has learned is that she needed to adjust how she produces inventory.

“It’s like really showing me I can’t make one of one thing – I have to make several, which is difficult, but it’s also, like, really fruitful,” Dawkins said. “I get to see, like, how much I’ve grown in my jewelry-making process, but also, like, how I can continue to grow.”

She encouraged other student creators to apply.

“If you need help with something, everybody’s really supportive,” Dawkins said.

Customers said the variety of vendors draws them in. At the Feb. 21 Soda City Market, Raven Turner purchased jewelry from Willa Wear.

“I bought … one of the March birthstone earrings,” Turner said. “I absolutely love them. They have sterling silver and gold with it, so they won’t mess with my ear with salt water, especially since I’m from Charleston.”

Jason Badillo, a junior information technology major, said he had been browsing online before buying in person.

“I got, like, a ceramic blue necklace, and it’s super sick,” Badillo said. “I’ve been eyeing it on her website for a week.”

Addison Macavian, a junior psychology student and customer of Caitlyn Creates, said the booth offered broad appeal.

“It’s beautiful, and there’s something for everyone,” Macavian said.

In addition to market days and online sales, the chapter occasionally collaborates with the Student-Made chapter at Columbia’s Benedict College. Gulczinski said the organization’s growth over the past three years has been shaped by its emphasis on shared experience.

“I’ve made so many friends with managers but also, like, students and people that come through the market,” Gulczinski said.