From hot sauce to hand crocheted plushies, this year’s Small Business Fest had much to offer to those passing by. 

There were around 50 tables lining the Library Quad Saturday, according to the president of entrepreneurship club and organizer of the event, Nicholas Macaluso.  

Tables were flocked by interested buyers all through the day, including sophomore nursing major Jaimie Redmond’s bright pink table cosmetic table just outside Booth Library. 

“Everyone here’s so nice,” she said. “I like looking at the little businesses and the networking and everything. 

Redmond runs a body scrub and lip balm business called Nellys Cosmetics, named after her middle name Janelle, she said. 

By around noon, Redmond said she had made 10 sales and was very happy with how the day was going. This was Redmond’s first time selling at Small Business Fest.

“I was actually kind of nervous because I just started this business over the summer,” she said. “When I heard about the business festival, I was just like, ‘why not?’” 

This year, Macaluso and the entrepreneurship club had 64 people sign up for the event, with 50 showing up.  

He said a QR code was sent out to those interested linking to a google form with more information. 

Last year, to register business owners had to reach out directly to Macaluso via email. He said the new process was a lot smoother. 

Students weren’t the only ones checking out the businesses. University President Jay Gatrell said he was having a great time at the festival with his wife Kriss Donovan-Gatrell. 

“We’ve bought some lip balm, a really wonderful waffle croissant thing—amazing—and I think we’re buying some crochets,” he said. “My wife and I are just enjoying the day.” 

Just across the way from Redmond’s table was a table filled with plants run by both the botany and beekeeping clubs. 

According to botany club member Isabella-Rose Gonzalzles who was manning the table, many of the plants being sold were propagation cuttings from the campus greenhouse. 

Propagation is a form of maintenance for plants where part of an overgrown plant is cut off and replanted elsewhere. That cutting then regrows into a whole new plant after being placed in dirt or water. The beekeeping club was selling floral and leaf pressings taken from around Charleston either on or off campus. 

“We just wanted to get more people involved and interested, get in touch with their green thumb,” Gonzalzles said. 

Gonzalzles, who runs some of the social media for botany club and designed the stickers present at the booth, said the table had been doing really well so far. 

While botany club came into small business fest with a goal of making $30, by the halfway point of the festival, the club had made $50. 

Gonzalzles said botany club chose to sell at the festival to fundraise for a trip at the end of the year. The location hasn’t been disclosed yet, but last year the club visited the Whiteside Garden.   

“It was really fun,” Gonzalzles said. “It was this really cool garden walk.”

To sell at Small Business Fest, booth attendants needed to pay a $20 cash fee. 

The fee goes toward entrepreneurship club and hosting future events, according to Macaluso. 

Vendors would pay this fee and set up their tables one hour before the event started during vendor check in. 

Sophomore Spanish major Juliet Woodruff and freshman fashion merchandising major Rashawn Pierre were at the festival selling sustainable fashion and accessories with their business called Rare Moon Co. 

The duo was selling custom collage posters, handmade bracelets, necklaces, earrings and hairclips, custom Altoids tins, small storage jars and lighters. 

“We use a lot of thrifted materials and vintage collage magazines to make a lot of our products,” Woodruff said. 

According to Woodruff, much of their materials are from the Goodwill Outlet Bins in Jacksonville, Illinois. 

Pierre makes most of the accessories being sold. 

Bracelets take about an hour to make, Pierre said. Sometimes, Pierre restarts when an accessory doesn’t turn as envisioned, including changing up the length of the bracelets and charms included.  

“A lot of the time it is just me liking the vibe of it,” Pierre said. 

The Altoids take longer, Pierre said, as the duo must cut magazine clippings down to size and collage at a small scale. Necklaces take even longer, given they are larger in size. 

Outside of the collage posters at the stand, Rare Moon Co. Was taking custom poster commissions.

Interested buyers could leave their contact information in a book and send over mood boards, aesthetics or list of interests for Woodruff to make a poster based on. 

“We’ve been crafting for a long time, but the business has been in the works for around two years,” Woodruff said. 

Macaluso said he was happy with the student turnout this year, but he said he is looking to expand turnout next year by reaching out more to the community. 

“This event is for students by students, but of course I would love to engage the Charleston community much more,” he said. 

Entrepreneurship club is looking to market toward Charleston High School in the future, Macaluso said, potentially by setting up at a high school football game. 

The next Small Business Fest will be hosted in spring. 

“Check us out in April,” Macaluso said. “Support student businesses.” 

Alli Hausman can be reached at 581-2812 or at athausman@eiu.edu.