MPorium Hosts Annual Fall Fest

Students shop local venors at Fall Fest. Photo via Amy Ozols '23

Marist MPorium, the student-run boutique in Steel Plant, held its annual Fall Fest on Nov. 8.

MPorium is a live retail laboratory where students enrolled in the retail entrepreneurship course learn to run and maintain a business. The class is divided into seven teams: finance, buying & merchandise planning, visual merchandising, marketing, e-commerce, store operations & human resources, and event/community outreach.

The vendors included Tees2Tailgate, JulzJewelsCo, Dainty By Sof, Kris Designs, Doll Baby Vintage, La vie après L’amour, Crochet by AK, and Dyed By Pey. Alongside the exclusive shopping for students, MPorium held fundraisers for Marist Spiritual Life Services (SLS) for Hunger Month, donating the proceeds to the local community. The SLS fundraisers included student artist-painted pumpkins for sale and gift basket raffles put together by each vendor. Marist clubs Runway of Dreams, Ethical Fashion Initiative, NRFSA, and Fashion INC also attended.

Most of the vendors had at least one thing in common. When the pandemic hit in 2020, they used their time during quarantine to fuel their passion projects and turn them into businesses. One student vendor, Chiara Pantano ‘24, started her business “Tees2Tailgate” back when she was in high school. Over the years, it blew up, and now she has made sales in over 30 states and internationally.

“It's been a really fun and interesting journey,” said Pantano.

Peyton Jackson ‘19 founder of “Dyed by Pey,” studied business at Marist. While she said her area of study lacked the opportunity to be creative, she has always loved fashion, which motivated her to start her business.

“No matter what your major is, you can still follow your dream and do whatever you want post-grad,” said Jackson.

MPorium events team member Amelie Dare ‘24 says how fun her job is and how much she loves it. Each semester, the MPorium events team plans and executes a series of events while working with MPorium's finance team to budget.

“I've learned a lot while communicating with others, reaching out to businesses, and organizing catering,” said Dare.

The annual festival was a celebration of the Marist community and the talented individuals here. Students were able to take a break from their everyday routines to enjoy food, music, and fun activities.