Bruin Bodega Opens
- Zach Watkins
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Belmont University opened a new retail space Wednesday called the Bruin Bodega, a shop designed to highlight student and alumni businesses while giving students practical experience in entrepreneurship.
The store is part of a collaboration between Belmont and local community partners, including Connexion Américas and Corner to Corner. The initiative aims to connect students’ classroom learning with hands-on business practice and to help them understand the realities of launching and managing a small enterprise.
“Belmont is really dedicated to entrepreneurship, and they don’t just walk the walk or talk the talk. They live it out loud,” said Shana Berkley, Executive Director of Corner to Corner.
Berkley said the university’s focus on applied learning is what makes its programs valuable to students preparing to enter the workforce.
“What makes the Belmont experience so valuable is the hands-on practical knowledge. When you graduate here you can get a job and be helpful to your employer,” Berkley said.
“Students are still learning how to do the things, and us being able to impart our knowledge and then being able to introduce them to people outside of the Belmont community, to really ground them in what Nashville is doing, it really all makes a difference.”
The Bruin Bodega allows student and alumni entrepreneurs to sell products they have developed in a professional retail setting. For many, it is their first opportunity to manage inventory, work directly with customers, and market their products beyond the university community.
“Students sometimes are underestimated,” Berkley said. “This project shows what they are capable of when given access and guidance.”
Belmont senior Kaylee Flores, who works in the store, said the experience provides a sense of pride and connection among students and graduates.
“Being a Bruin already makes you feel proud. To have other alumni that have gone to the school, show what they have created, and actually be able to display that, and have other people, like, discover who they are, and, you know, grow their business is just amazing,” Flores said.
Flores added that community partners have played an important role in helping students and alumni navigate the process of setting up the shop.
“Opening a brand new store isn’t easy, but having these partners that like to work with us so well is just like a great thing,” Flores said. “They’ve just been so open arms.”
Belmont President Greg Jones said the university’s goal is to provide students with experiences that prepare them for life after graduation.
“We want to be rooted in practice,” Jones said. “I think what Connexion América, Nativo and Corner to Corner are doing are just amazing. Bringing connection and community is just beautiful.”
He said projects like the Bruin Bodega align with Belmont’s emphasis on professional readiness and community engagement.
“We want Bruins to be able to jump into jobs and be able to move forth in their career,” Jones said.
The Bruin Bodega will continue to feature a rotating selection of student and alumni vendors, with the goal of serving as both a marketplace and a learning environment for Belmont’s entrepreneurial community.
Starting this fall, applications will open for the incubator program that will help Belmont students launch products of their own with Bruin Bodega through “workshops, clinics, very focused mentorship and guidance,” said Elizabeth Gortmaker, executive director of the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship.
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This article was written by Zach Watkins