Trojan Marketplace supports community

Tables lined the McCarthy Quad and the Trousdale Campus Entrance Tuesday for USC’s second-ever Trojan Marketplace, after its organizing group received  over 80 vendor applications within a week.

Spark SC, a student organization dedicated to building a better entrepreneurial ecosystem at USC, held the first marketplace in the USC Village last April. Following the event’s success, the organization began planning its sequel in the new McCarthy Quad location to foster its growth.

Sarah Hakim, a senior majoring in industrial and systems engineering and committee lead for Trojan Marketplace, described what makes Spark different from other student business organizations. 

“It’s mostly focused on redefining entrepreneurship and approaching entrepreneurship in an innovative way,” Hakim said. “A lot of our initiatives aren’t necessarily based on startups or businesses, it’s more just promoting entrepreneurship.”

After noticing that many small businesses on campus lacked digital exposure and community funding, the idea for Trojan Marketplace was born. In partnership with Hakim, junior Erik Cruz founded Trojan Marketplace.   

Spark vowed to create an equitable event that all could participate in. Many flea markets typically charge vendors a down payment or take a percentage of their profits, but vending at Trojan Marketplace comes at no cost to the vendor due to the event’s sponsors, the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and The Lorenzo. 

“We don’t want money to be a reason someone doesn’t participate, so we’ve made it completely free,” Hakim said. 

But Spark wanted to break down more than just financial barriers. 

“The really big thing behind it was that we had people who were a minority selling for the first time, and more than half of our vendors [were] women,” Hakim said. “It tapped into a community that isn’t usually given this opportunity.”

Hakim noted that these goals were all kept in mind when reviewing vendor applications.

Dani Eustaquio, a junior majoring in business administration and founder of SageRoseCo, applauded Spark for giving student businesses a platform. Eustaquio has been making jewelry for over two years and just recently launched her own website. 

“A lot of the things that these entrepreneurs sell are targeted towards college students, and I think this is the perfect platform to get your name out there and promote your business,” Eustaquio said. 

Spark intends to make the marketplace a regular event, with two to three occurring per semester. But they faced a few added roadblocks to their agenda. This year, the Spark committee in charge of the Trojan Marketplace had to register the event as a student organization in order to receive funding. 

“We know that the first time someone does something, it really paints a picture for the rest of the way they ever go about it,” Hakim said. “We want to give these people a really, really positive first time experience.“

After putting a halt to her production over sustainability concerns, Farnaz Behdinan, a junior majoring in business administration and owner of FarnieDesigns, is excited to share her passion with the world once again. 

“The experience of selling your work is so fun,” Behdinan said. “It’s like you’re giving a part of yourself to someone else, and it feels amazing.” 

Behdinan and Eustaquio agree that while some business tactics are learned from the textbook, much of what they’ve learned has come from their hands-on work. 

“The whole experience of being a small business owner is just a huge learning curve,” Eustaquio said. 

Students who attended the marketplace enjoyed a first-hand look at the talents some of their peers have, like Jasmine Jiwani, a freshman majoring in business administration.

“After going to Trojan Marketplace, I’m really hopeful for the opportunities I’m going to have throughout my time here, because I feel like this is so creative,” Jiwani said. 

Spark hopes that through continued events like the marketplace, the organization can foster the foundation for USC student entrepreneurs to accomplish their dreams. 

“We really believe that these people are going to go on to be huge fashion designers, restaurant owners and business owners,” Hakim said. “We just want to be a part of their beginning.”