The St. Edward’s University Office of Student Belonging and Inclusive Excellence hosted Women’s Expo at Ragsdale Lawn on March 6. The market welcomed women-owned and women-supporting small businesses to sell their products on campus. The event was organized to serve as a way to champion women in business in celebration of National Women’s History Month, which is observed annually during March. This year, the theme for Women’s History Month is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion”, was exemplified at this year’s expo, hosting vendors that represented different identities, including queer women and women of different ethnicities.
The expo featured a variety of vendors, both student-run and Austin-local. Vendors in attendance included Beaded by Sandy, Emsbryn Art, Lavender Ladybugs, arts and crafts by Lia Longoria and a booth run by sophomore Grace Hartung-Latham selling second-hand clothing and accessories.
Some of the vendors had made appearances in past on-campus expos and decided to return. Students Ren Mooney and Nina Hernandez, the owners of Lavender Ladybugs, said they both decided to start their small business a year ago once they discovered one another’s shared love for creating and selling homemade jewelry.
“We decided to have this business because we both love making jewelry and spending time being crafty,” Mooney said.
Mooney and Hernandez said that this was their second vending appearance at campus expos. Hernandez explained that a major perk of their business and attending St. Edward’s expos is being able to cater to and represent the communities that they are a part of.
“Our booth attracts mainly women and queer people, so it is really nice to see people in the same communities as I am who enjoy what we are selling and love our vibe,” Hernandez said. “Being able to see people find a piece that they love or connect with is really special, because I can talk to them about how we made the piece or how much we also love it.”
Student Sandra Chaps, owner of another small jewelry business, Beaded by Sandra, talked about her own experience of being a woman who runs a small business. Chaps created her business in 2019 after being inspired by a friend of hers who hand-made beaded jewelry.
“The moment I saw her make a beaded necklace, I looked at it and I was like, ‘I could totally make that’,” Chaps said. “So, then, it just kind of grew from there, and I got a lot of support from my hometown.”
Chaps explains that she appreciates how the St. Edward’s community gives opportunities to women such as herself to be able to promote their businesses and show people their talents and hard work in the world of owning a business.
“It’s important to support creators such as women because I see how it’s like to run a small business and it can be hard,” Chaps said. “It’s also very rewarding to see another woman doing the same thing. It’s really inspiring and it makes you feel like you can just relate a lot, so I feel like it is important because it supports their successes and their dreams.”
Student Lia Longoria, who sold unique magnets, jewelry and other trinkets at the market, also shares her thoughts on what a space like this means to her and other female shop owners.
“Seeing many of these women-led businesses at St. Edward’s expos are exactly what pushed me to begin my own little business,” Longoria said. “The exposure of seeing women like myself succeed is more important than anyone could ever imagine.”
Attendees also enjoyed the event as much as the vendors did, both appreciating the expo’s purpose and focus on women-owned businesses. Student Brielle Milligan, a friend of Chaps and an attendee to the market, explains the importance of giving women a platform and celebrating their contributions, especially in the St. Edward’s community.
“When they give women a space to sell and show off their work, it helps showcase women who deserve their small businesses to be heard.” Milligan said.
In addition, having spaces like this, according to Longoria, helps certain groups on campus feel seen, appreciated and impactful.
“It is so refreshing and honestly exciting to see women like myself making a living from selling things they have created.” Longoria said. “I feel very proud to be amongst these women and inspired to know that there is only going up from here.”
