Determination Shows Profit
University Daily Kansan
Thursday, November 19, 1970
5
Students Venture into Business
By MELISSA BERG
Kansas Staff Writer
A small amount of capital, no previous business experience, arduous bookkeeping, long hours and an unfavorable economy are obstacles to beginning a businessman. But these obstacles have been overcome by students and former students engaged in various activities.
Within the last three and one half years, a wealth of deter- mination has carried young people into owning and managing a local record shop, a restaurant, a grocery store, a shop and several specialty shops.
Motives for 'launching such business ventures varied, but the traditional profit motive was not the original criterion in all cases.
Phyllis Shaffer and Pat Roper
co-workers of Leipdorpera
from a WBshop in their
their shop last Feb. 15 not really
wanting to run a business.
Rather they wanted to sell things
in the office, and hide a creative outlet for others.
They started out working for nothing and poured their profits into the business. They worked four months until they made enough money to cover overhead and wages. Miss Shaffer said they were buying a shop as a big money-making venture. we don't view our volume of business as a financial success.
A consignment system has evolved and at present 50-100 people provide the handmade articles for the shop and make their own clothing. Shaffer said a major problem was establishing a sufficient number of regular contributors. People who sell people sew regularly, she said.
Necessary evils for the shopowners include the long hours involved in running the store, and the need to bookkeeping. Miss Shaffer said that "sewing all night after working in the store all day can get to be a real drag. I'm helping my first income tax report."
Sellan Hall, Charles Treuner and Brad Charles opened the shop at 101 Massachusetts St. a little more than an hour after consignment operation is supplemented with sales of homemade bread and other baked goods bill. Hall said that their operation had been fairly easy so far. He explained that they had used ingredients from the kitchen and built the shop themselves.
Owners of another engagement the moment the mime shines on the lodge of your children in peace," had similar motives for opening their door.
Rob Amborn and Sherri Solemen, both former fine arts students, will podge Dodge at 15 W. St. with a sculpture, pottery and art. They start with a list of "things to buy" from Chicago but their business now sends them to Dallas, Chicago, New York or San Francisco on buying trips.
The consignment system was only a starting point for two shop owners who have expanded to an additional 100 shops, includes buying trips to markets.
Contrary to the belief of some that shops of this type require a management team, Hall said the management hopes to sell creations of Lawrence
Amborn said the major problem that confronted them in getting the business rolling was obtaining credit from customers, particularly difficult to get from clothing manufacturers, he said.
Amborn said other businessmen we arrived the insurance man around the corner thought we'd never last a monochrome film.
"Often they would send more than we ordered or else a wrong order. I had an error in items that didn't sell. You have to learn from experience who to call."
"One of the major problems we have now is shoplifting." Amborn said. "Prices would be lower without it."
Amborn said he thought the reason for the growth of such shops was because people appealed to him for special gifts made especially for them.
"People like the casual atmosphere too. It's kind of like a swing back to the specialty shops earlier centuries," he said.
Kim Kerm, owner and manager of Strawberry Fields at 121 Massachusetts, saw the trend as resulting from students not saying things they liked in other shops more to students' heads.
Kerm opened his shop on Massachusetts two and one-half years ago when no one would hire him because of his long hair.
Kermer said his business philosophy differed from most merchants. "A lot of businessmen think 'A' is okay toBusinessmen just lose so much makes money. Customers get a raw deal that way,' he said.
Shoiflifting and a fire a year ago for which he had no insurance, have been his biggest setbacks. Kerm said he thought the fire was unheard of in the townpeople toward the huppe towntype shop were detrimental
"They automatically associate us with drugs and the most critical ones are those who have never been in here," he said.
Another area in which former students have made inroads is the record shop business.
Because he "couldn't see working for anybody," Mike McGrannah opened River City to Millennium II Massachusetts St. in September.
McGramahan said he had been always interested in music and had played with groups in the early 1980s. Selling records and tapes is "nin-pir off" prices is his aim. "Before I opened my shop, the cheapest album price in the world engaged a dollar higher," he said.
Bookkeeping and paper work are the biggest hassles, he said. "We're going to need so that I can sell records cheaply," he added, the advertising budget." He said he would
by mistake which forms of ad- vertising pay off and which don't."
Skill in leatherwork and a suggestion from friends that he would work for a good leather worker prompted Mark Shelton to open Primarily Leather at 812% for three and a half years ago.
Shelton said that he hadn't any major problems, but that a lot of hard work had been involved.
The economic situation has not been too detrimental to his shop, because the demand for good goods often goods he kept up, he said.
What started out to be a part time job last September has developed into a full scale company for Mike Granger, Glauer science.
A history major, Granger took over as manager of the Gulf State University campus, the lease needed someone to run it. Being unfamiliar with running a university, Granger worked at a gas station didn't faze him. He dropped out of college and worked with the business, but started a summer when he had learned the job.
"Everything was left entirely up to me," he said. "At first, didn't know how to stock a boat. I'd buy too much or too little."
Although a Gulf distributor helps Granger change prices and use a bookworm, he has to find his employees are students and each works 15-20 hours per week. He must be assigned to Work schedules have to be arranged around class times, because leaves one man covering the station.
Duties consist mainly of maintaining great jobs, because the station has no certified mechanic. "We make enough to cover wage and benefits."
"Pristicula, we can be thankful you didn't have to spin anymore. Now you can get all your yarn for knitting, croaking, or needlepint at the Crestel Cupboard."
"I've wished I could every Tues. & Thurs. 12:30-3:00 & lunch at the Crestel Cupboard."
Granger said that the job had been good enough. He said he and his gads had suffered. He said his future plans don't include making a career out of it, or having a job though. He has thoughts of becoming a lawyer or taking a new job.
FREE KNITTING CLINIC every Tuesday. & Thurs. 12:30 - 3:00:
learn to knit or learn with knitting problems.
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A part time job as a sandwich man catering to fraternities and high schools that broadened into a full-time job with Bob Schumm, Bo John Schumma, 1968 graduate of KU. Schumma opened his own restaurant, The Bull and Bear, last May.
"Well Keep You in Stitches" (17 East 8th S.)
Originally, Schumm planned to use service food line as a supply chain for the sandwich delivery service as his main source of business.
ETCHINGS
LITHOGRAPHS
SERIGRAPHS
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Dick vs. Ted?
We now serve
Don Chilito's Border Restaurant 1528 W. 23rd
WASHINGTON (UP1)—The White House news magazine report that Nixon expects Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to win his Democratate in 1972.
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Carry outs welcome
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"organizing employees and instilling in them the incentive to stick with the job is another problem," he said.
The largest canyon live oak in the world is Big Oak Tree in Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles.
Schumim said the time element was his major problem. It day inn costs $185 and, at which time he must attend to food preparation, buying, book work
SCHUMM met his first profit
expectations after its weeks in
business. He made a three-fold
success to his new recognition,
the price good service and good food.
Although their problems have been varied and numerous, the people starting businesses in Latin America risk this. This fact may serve as some evidence for the older generation to keep track of determinations and know how to do them.
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AT THE DRAUGHT HOUSE THIS FRIDAY
SPECIAL RATES FOR SENIORS
TIDE Album Soon To Be Released
Give your portrait for Christmas.
Don't Miss It.
KU Artists Offer Prints for Sale
A student exhibition展印 an opened today in the Kansas安iss is sponsored by the printing shop of the School of Fine Arts.
All 178 prints in the exhibition by 28 University of Kansas art students for sale, according to Kathy Patterson, Lawrence senior and coordinator.
the show includes lithographs,
etchings, woodcuts and
serigraphs. The prices of the
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THE VIRGIN AND THE GYPSY
prints range from $5 to $125. All money taken in from the sale of i print goes to the KU artist.
There is one print that will be sold by closed bids. The money from this sale will be used to help finance a trip to Chicago by the
printmaking work shop. The print was donated by John Talere, head of the printmaking work shop.
The exhibition will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday on the first floor of the Union.
Old Great Ape Gets Face Lift
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (UHP) a paleontologist Elwin L. Simons and David R. Pileham reported Monday they have
assembled the jawbones of a 12 million-year-old Eurasian Great Ape, an antecedent of man.
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