Another Student-Run Shop Comes to Belmont Boulevard

Outside of Bruin Bodega, Emily Garver

Student workers are cooking up the latest student-run Belmont Boulevard business, Bruin Bodega, which will feature food from Belmont alumni and local vendors. 

“You won't see any big-name brands in there, which I think is really awesome, because we're really trying to push the Nashville names and small businesses,” said America Sossi, the manager of Bruin Bodega. 

Both Bruin Bodega and House Of are current businesses run by students under the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship. The program was created at Belmont in 2004 when the entrepreneurship major was added.  

Faculty at the Cone Center provide students with guidance throughout the process of pitching a business idea and executing it, like the director Elizabeth Gortmaker. 

“Over the years, we've had a candy shop, a music venue, an instrument store, a boutique that sold social enterprise,” she said.  

The current students wanted to continue working on House Of, which reopened on Sept. 24 in the space previously occupied by Where the Well Things Are. With Well Things closing, students had the opportunity to pitch and create a new business. 

“The idea behind that was we have a lot of alumni entrepreneurs that have food businesses, and we even have a lot of students that are trying to start their own packaged food business. So, the Bruin Bodega is for Bruins by Bruins,” said Gortmaker. 

Sossi initially worked with Gortmaker and the entrepreneurship center on House Of and was excited to take a leadership role at Bruin Bodega, she said.  

“I feel like it's a really good opportunity for those who just want to step into entrepreneurship and really see what it's like to start a business,” said Sossi.  

Bruin Bodega will be stocked with things like candy, snacks, sandwiches and hot, ready-to-eat meals.  

Students will see more than just former Bruins and local businesses' food inside the shop, though. A few current students and faculty will also have their products for sale at Bruin Bodega, like Dr. Jeremy Fyke, who co-founded Two Heads Hot Sauce. 

“It was just; ‘Let’s just make some hot sauce and see if it's good,’ and it really took off,” said Fyke. 

Fyke teaches communication studies at Belmont, and while this could be a selling point for the hot sauce, it takes more than that to win customers over, he said.  

“At the end of the day, that's all fine and good. It still has to taste really good.” 

Bruin Bodega will open on Oct. 15. In the spring semester, Gortmaker and the student workers are implementing a consumer packaged goods incubator, which will allow students to package their own food for retail.  

“That will be a program that will run the whole spring semester, but they'll be partnered with the store because they'll be selling their products in the store, but they'll also be getting some guidance and workshops and mentorship and all that outside of the store as well,” said Gortmaker. 

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This article was written by Haley Ramsey