TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Troy University’s IDEA Bank, the Sorrell College of Business and the company Student-Made Store will soon debut a storefront made specifically for student entrepreneurs.

The Student-Made Shop will be the first of its kind in Alabama thanks to it being a brick-and-mortar store inside IDEA Bank.

Thanks to the partnership, students will now have access to a program that gives them a local place to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and receive support from industry professionals.

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“Serve as a place to get students more plugged in to the real world, you might say,” said IDEA Bank Director Lynne George. “Taking your academics and apply them in real life and give them experience.”

Later this year, a retail store will be located inside the IDEA Bank.

“It will provide an outlet for students who have a product to sell,” George explained. “Student creators who have a particular craft or particular art or they create things and maybe they are selling them out of their dorm room.. Think clothing, think gifts, jewelry, candles, artwork, anything like that.”

As Troy’s downtown square continues to flourish, the entrepreneurship program aims to help students flourish alongside it.

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“We will be the first to have a stand alone Student-Made branded brick and mortar store front,” George told TrojanVision. “It just speaks to our commitment to supporting student creators and really putting into action and embedding them into the community and helping their businesses thrive.”

The official launch date for the storefront is Sept. 20, 2024