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Student-run shop partners with local entrepreneur
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Canfield High School students are getting hands-on experience in running their own business with the help of a local entrepreneur.
Vicki McGee, owner of Simply Scarves ... and Such, has been coming in five days a week to work with students in Sherry Creighton’s Introduction to Business class.
McGee and the students operate a small storefront called The Bird Cage, which sells Cardinals gear along with scarves, bracelets, candy and other goods. The students started outfitting the store from the ground up when they came back from winter break, and it opened two weeks ago.
“We’re trying to teach them all the lessons about running a business,” McGee said. “And I’m living proof it can happen.”
McGee left the corporate world and opened her first boutique in Salem in November 2014. Since then she’s opened additional locations in Columbiana and Austintown. A fourth location will open in Minerva this weekend.
Creighton, a customer of McGee’s Columbiana store, asked McGee to serve as the adviser this year. She started in January and is committed until the end of the school year.
“We have never brought on a merchant that was able to share with us a variety of merchandise that appeals to women, not just to men,” Creighton said.
She added that many teachers shop at the store.
David Lisowski, a student who helps run the store, said they recently sold $300 of merchandise in one day.
Creighton started The Bird Cage in the fall of 2015. It grew out of another experiment in student entrepreneurship – the Cardinal Cafe. The cafe offers coffee and baked goods to Canfield students every morning, and has for six years. Both The Bird Cage and the cafe were started in cooperation with Junior Achievement, an organization that teaches students skills intended to help them succeed in the business world.
“It makes learning real,” Creighton said. “It’s an outstanding preparation for student’s careers.”
Home Savings Bank in Canfield recently showcased The Bird Cage as a featured business. Patrons could purchase Cardinals shirts and hats from a table in the bank.
Lisowski said he wants to run a business someday, and it’s valuable to learn from someone who owns several stores.
Carly Campbell, another student who works in the store, said it’s a nice complement to classroom work.
“You actually get hands-on experience as opposed to someone teaching you,” she said. “It’s a lot more fun in here.”
McGee also teaches lessons about things businesses deal with including loss prevention. She said working with the students has been a great experience, and she’s glad she can give back to the community.
“Sometimes I’m a bit tough, but I want it to be a real-world experience,” McGee said. “They know I’ll be there for them. When they apply for their first jobs, I hope they put me down as a reference.”