University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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The Sweet Smell of Success: In August 1985 Jus ' Poppin ' opened its doors in the lob- by of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union modestly enough. Despite the lack of fanfare, the event marked a first in University of California history. For the first time, students had a place designated especially for them in which to establish businesses. Senior Afro-American studies major Eshe Faizah, (formerly Marcia Richards) the first student entrepreneur to take advantage of this oppor- tunity, began selling freshly popped, piping hot popcorn complete with a variety of spicy and sweet ' toppings. To casual observers, the opening went off without a hitch; but Greg Bulanti, ASUC Director of Student Services, described the process of implementing the program as long and drawn-out. The idea was originally proposed in the ASUC Senate in 1984 when a group of students wanted space to sell pizza in the Bear ' s Lair to compete with local sellers. From there the idea evolved into what it is today. Instead of planning space for already competitive markets, the ASUC decided to limit the type of products that could be sold. Said Bulanti, We wanted to guarantee a certain level of success to students involved in this very educa- tional program. There ' s enough experience to be gained in running the business itself without having to worry about competition, which would only hurt these small busines ses. Adding to the the distinctiveness of thepro- gram, specially designed booths would set them apart from other businesses that the ASUC runs in order to make them uniquely student oriented. To allow as many students to participate as possible, the businesses are given a one year non-renewable lease. The leases are staggered so that two new businesses will not open concurrently. Bulanti explained, This fall Jus ' Pop- pin ' opened, and we waited until spring to let the Smore Store open. This way, there is a new application process each semester for the expiring lease. Indeed the program, even in its infant stage has been competetive. For each booth that opened this year there were five finalists from an application pool of twelve. The process was not an easy one for Jus ' Poppin ' s Faizah, and many less tenacious students would have been discouraged. I got the run around from the University for a year and a half after I first heard about the program. The long wait until the program was implemented in its final form was frustrating for Faizah. In the meantime though, she used the waiting period to fully research and develop her product. I decided on popcorn because people today are health-conscious and popcorn has always been a favorite snack. With the help of the Alameda County library, Faizah researched the nutritional value of all her seventeen popcorn recipes. She also initiated a class on student entrepreneurship with DE-Cal (Democratic Educa- tion at Cal). Finally, after six or seven starting dates, we began selling popcorn. Right next door to Jus ' Poppin ' another store serving delicious edibles opened for business in February 1986. Brother and sister team, Gary and Brenda Kulp, run the Smore Store, which offers old-fashioned graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate Smores just like at a camp- fire. Gary Kulp ' s entrepreneurial aspirations were the im- petus for the project. I ' ve always been interested in star- ting my own business. When I went to Santa Barbara I was involved in an enterpreneur ' s club down there. When he found out about the program, he decided he was going to apply even though he had no idea what to produce. We were really limited by ASUC regulations. We couldn ' t sell anything that competed with businesses within a quarter mile of the University or with the ASUC. That meant we could basically sell pet rocks. Due to an inspiration in the middle of the night, the Kulps settled on Smores and eager- ly submitted the lengthy application, eventually beating out four other competitors. Both Faizah and the Kulps have been satisfied with the experience that running a store offers. Faizah comments, It ' s been more of a challenge and less of a problem than I expected. I ' m well organized because I have to be, and I put in a lot of hard work; but I love the business. The Kulps, although satisfied with their experience, admit to some disappointments. When we first opened we ex- pected people to be flocking to our doors. But, we were charging too much to compete with the dollar -a-slice piz- za, so we ' re learning to play with the formula to make it work. Perhaps the Kulp ' s more cautious optimism is due to the fact that the Smore Store has not been open as long the now established Jus ' Poppin ' . Both sets of owners have different plans for the future. After graduating in May, Faizah plans to open a branch of Jus ' Poppin ' on Shattuck. The Kulps on the other hand have no plans to expand their business. I wouldn ' t want it for more than a year. It ' s a big demand on our time, and it ' s homework that suffers. According to Greg Bulanti, the program may very well become a permanent part of the ASUC. I think we ' ll definitely extend the program beyond the two year trial period. It ' s been a great success. Anne Campbell