Pacer Entrepreneur Busy as Bee

Aiken, SC (03/21/2019) — One business management major at the University of South Carolina Aiken decided to get to work long before graduation.

Brooke Thomas, a junior at USC Aiken, started her own jewelry company - Ginger Bee - almost two years ago in response to friends who loved the pieces she wore.

"I have been making jewelry for sale since October 2017," Thomas said.

"I first started making it for myself, but then all my friends were asking them to make them different pieces, so I decided to start an Instagram and sell off there."

This budding entrepreneur has a knack for fashion and accessorizing and couples them with her own style and creativity in each item. Her goal is to offer striking pieces in myriad styles that appeal to all ages, all available at reasonable prices.

She keeps an eye out for items with special flair and purchases a lot of her material from markets in Atlanta. But fellow fashion lovers don't have to travel fair to acquire Thomas' unique treasures.

In addition to Instagram and Facebook, her jewelry is available at Aiken's newly instituted Indie Market, which takes place the third Saturday of every month, March - November, at 616 Park Ave., downtown Aiken. She's also featured in other local markets throughout the CSRA.

In addition to jewelry, this Pacer cheerleader, hopes to add clothes and other accessories to the Ginger Bee line.

Thomas' talent was recently recognized throughout the Aiken community when she was named Entrepreneur of the Week by Aiken Blend.

USC Aiken encourages students, like Thomas, to explore their own, unique entrepreneurial spirit. To that end, last semester, the university opened the USC Aiken Entrepreneurship Center.

"The entrepreneurship center was created to bring forth creative ideas, encourage collaboration, and jump start businesses," said Rebecca Barnwell of the USC Aiken School of Business administration who helped create the center, along with colleague Mary Coule.

"We identified a need, a need for a creative space that fosters the entrepreneurial endeavors of our students."

Their goal is to build partnerships within the community to offer workshops and resources to future entrepreneurs, especially those among the student body.

"This center allows opportunity for grow in our organization, for students who aspire to be entrepreneurs, and it will even greatly benefit the community," said Miranda Bishop, president of Enactus during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"We look forward to seeing this center's impact on young entrepreneurs and Aiken. This center, combined with dedicated, determined students, will build and establish businesses for generations to come."

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