More than 60 local vendors gathered in Mount Mercy’s Hennessey Recreation Center for the December 2017 Market at the Mount.

Sponsored by MMU’s Enactus team, a community of students and academic business leaders committed to using entrepreneurial action to transform lives, Market at the Mount began in 2014 as a useful teaching tool for students. It provides an opportunity for students and vendors to collaborate and learn about best business practice.

Focused on community empowerment, Enactus takes no profit from the event. Rather, vendors set up shops free of charge and work with students on skills such as product promotion and shop marketing.

“We want to help the community, especially small businesses and vendors,” says Enactus member Wyatt Cady ’18. “We know that a lot of businesses have a hard time selling their products over the winter months, and they appreciate every opportunity to sell their goods and products.”

Some Day: One Day

Following the event, Enactus and GoDaddy partnered to provide four vendors—African Women Empowered, Nutty Sisters, Crafter’s Chaos, and the Looking Glass—the opportunity to build an online presence, also free of charge. Students dubbed the event Some Day: One Day.

“After every market we asked vendors for feedback and business needs,” says Andjela Calasan ’19, Enactus member and Some Day: One Day project leader. “They mentioned having an online store would increase their sales, so we wanted to make their dream come true and turn a ‘someday website’ into a ‘one-day website.’ ” ■