INDIANAPOLIS — Some budding entrepreneurs are building their resumes and gaining real-world experience by launching a new store inside Perry Meridian High School.
The student-run Falcon Store sells pens, phones chargers and snacks at reasonable prices.
"We're learning real business skills," senior Vansui Lundcum said. "We're using what we learned from our classes — which is entrepreneurship, marketing and financing — and we're applying all those skills."
Lundcum, 18, serves as co-president of DECA, a club that helps students build skills in sales, marketing, finance and other business-related fields.
The students, all DECA club members, worked for five months to launch the Falcon Store. They developed a plan, found a location, got approval from school administrators and the school board, raised money, bought the inventory, stocked the shelves, set prices and scheduled staff to run the shop.
"When you have a store that's run by students, that's managed by students, people know they're going to be getting the products that they want to buy," Liam Sullivan, 18, said. "And I really think that that appeals to people."
Principal Kert Boedicker said the Falcon Store is a real, small business that lets the students use the skills they are learning in their classrooms.
This experience will look good on their college applications and resumes, he said.
"Regardless of the professions and occupations they choose in their life, they need business skills," Boedicker said. "They need those tangible, soft skills to apply in every application in almost every profession."
The store is located in a small room just off the cafeteria. It's open a few days a week during lunch times.
It sells pens, phone chargers, funky erasers, sweatshirts, snacks and other items. Most cost a buck or less.
"Most lines are extremely cheap, because, you know, we're all broke students," Lundcum said.
In the couple of weeks it's been open, the biggest selling items are snacks. The shop stocks a wide array, Lundcum said, but when WRTV visited, the chips and cheese puffs were nearly sold out.
All profits from the store go back to the students.
"The Falcon store is our main way of financing DECA," Sullivan said. "We really want to keep growing the store in order to help cut back membership dues."
Sullivan, a senior and co-president of DECA, said he also hopes the store's profits will help club members pay for hotels and registration fees when they compete in state competitions.
"It just kind of helps grease the gears of our club and helps us make sure everything's running smoothly by giving us a little bit extra cash," Sullivan said.
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on X/Twitter: @vicryc.
