The Shaddock Market made its return to the Intellectual Commons on March 27. The Shaddock Market is an event that occurs every semester, allowing students and alumni to sell products and promote their small businesses on campus.

The market was created by TCU’s Neeley Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s CREATE program and named after TCU alumnus Bill Shaddock. Every semester, participation and brand diversity vary from puffed beef jerky to trucker hats; this semester’s vendors were mainly food, clothing and beverage companies. Junior marketing major Alex Brown promoted her company, Good Origins, at the market for the second time. “It made me feel welcome to have alumni and faculty come by, take a look at my business, speak words of encouragement or give me advice,” Brown said. “I think it’s really important that we have things like that.” Brown also said that the market has helped her better understand herself and her business outside of her student life. Since the market happens twice a semester, it gives the brands an opportunity to showcase their growth over time. Beckett Kitaen, a junior member of the CREATE program and founder of Boldsnax, said the market provided a platform for him to get his idea out there, even before his business was fully functional. “I came last year when it was still just like a concept, and I was just giving them out to people, and some people liked them; some people thought it was kind of gross, but we’ve definitely improved a lot since last year, so we’re back,” Kitaen said. Kitaen emphasized the market’s effects on his business’ marketing, sharing that he would not have been able to get his product into the hands of people without the support from CREATE. Students not participating in CREATE sold their products at Shaddock marketplace as well.

Brother and sister team Ribbon and Blake Jones brought their line of Bar Nothin Hat Co. trucker hats. Bar Nothin Hat Co. was a result of the ranch the Jones siblings grew up on just 3 hours outside of Fort Worth, TCU freshman Ribbon Jones said. They wanted to branch out, make apparel and bring it to Fort Worth, Jones said. Students of any major can apply to CREATE. “Shaddock Marketplace provides a real-world example of collaborative entrepreneurship, showcasing how businesses can thrive in a shared space while maintaining unique brand identities,” said Reagan Oates, a senior graphic design major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation and past CREATE student. Oates is developing Reagan Oates Design, a graphic design agency that specializes in photography, logo creation and package design. Oates’ graphic design clientele ranges from TCU students to the Texas Rangers. “Ultimately, my dream is to launch my own full-product advertising and graphic design agency, joining the 1% of women who have done so,” Oates said. CREATE provides students, like Oates, with advice and financial support as they develop their ideas.