Buckeye Made Market Showcases Ohio State Student Entrepreneurs

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship and the Fisher College of Business Honors Cohort co-hosted the inaugural Buckeye Made Market, an event designed to highlight and support retail businesses created by talented Ohio State students.

“The Buckeye Made Market is all about supporting and celebrating student businesses,” said Ashley Lippincott, a program coordinator at the Keenan Center. “It’s amazing to see so many students share their passions and connect with the Ohio State community in such a fun and meaningful way.

“We’re grateful to the Fisher Honors Cohort for helping us bring this engaging, purposeful event to the Student Entrepreneurs’ Center.”

The market featured approximately a dozen student businesses selling products ranging from food and fashion to collectibles and custom goods. In addition to gaining practical experience in marketing their businesses, students had a chance to sharpen their entrepreneurial skills and broaden their professional networks.

Among the featured vendors was Riley Creagh, a junior marketing major who turned his passion for trading cards into a business. Creagh sells a collection of AI-generated trading cards featuring humorous mouse characters he shares daily on social media.

“I’ve always been a fan of trading cards, especially Pokémon,” Creagh said. “What started as a class project took off when I posted the first character online. The response was huge, so I decided to turn it into something tangible.”

Creagh, who produces and assembles the cards himself, credits Ohio State’s Entrepreneurial and Innovation Scholars Program with helping him connect with other student entrepreneurs and opportunities like Buckeye Made Market.

McKay Brown, a senior marketing major, used the event to promote her custom apparel business, which specializes in iron-on vinyl clothing.

“I started by making unique game-day outfits for my friends,” Brown said. “Game days are huge at Ohio State, and students are always looking for something different. I combined my love for graphic design with my Cricut machine and turned it into a business.”

Brown, who has been running her business since summer 2023, said the event changed how she views her work.

“This started as a small project, but being here made me realize I am an entrepreneur,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see so many students turn creative ideas into real businesses.”

The inaugural edition received support from the Fisher Honors Cohort Impact Project, a yearlong initiative focused on community engagement.

“Our project challenge was simple: ‘Make an impact,’” said Erin Brandwein, a third-year finance major and event organizer. “We saw an opportunity to expand Ohio State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the Keenan Center helped bring that vision to life.”

Although this was the first Buckeye Made Market, organizers hope to establish it as a recurring event.

“We’ve seen the impact—students gaining real-world business experience while also engaging with Ohio State’s entrepreneurial community,” Brandwein said. “This is just the beginning.”