Athens is now home to Campus Kicks, a student- and alumni-run business that sells wholesale fitted and snapback caps, shoes, apparel and other accessories to students.
Located inside the Chop Shop Barber Shop, 20 S. Court St. and online at campuskicks.net, is a business dream of entrepreneurs and co-founders Vincent Reeder, a 2008 graduate; David Hirsch, a 2011 graduate; and Michael Laplaca, a current senior.
“After graduation, I decided I wanted to work hard in (Athens) and put my money into something that I would be proud of (in hopes of) making something of myself,” Reeder said. “So I grabbed two of my buddies, and we started this business together.”
In 2009, the co-founders opened the Chop Shop because of the lack of places for students to get a haircut — especially for minority students. Since that time, they have accomplished their goal of expanding the business by launching Campus Kicks last year.
“When we opened, we wanted to make the Chop Shop a one stop shop for students,” Reeder said. “We’ve accomplished this as the Chop Shop is now a place where you can get your hair cut, pick out some shoes, listen to music and get your apparel. At the Chop Shop, it’s all you want and need at one place.”
The hassle of driving to larger, more metropolitan cities to buy fitted caps, apparel and more was one of the main reasons why the co-founders established Campus Kicks.
According to campuskicks.net, “the creators of Campus Kicks, having been through the Ohio University experience, have shared the frustration and hassle of students in keeping up the latest fashion trends.”
Reeder added to the website’s mission, explaining the personal inconveniences he experienced as a student in buying his preferred apparel.
“We pretty much live in the middle of nowhere in a college town with nothing but college kids around us,” Reeder said. “When I was a student, I thought it was a real hassle to drive home to Cincinnati just to buy what I liked.”
In addition to filling “a void in the fashion culture of Ohio University,” Campus Kicks sells name-brand products — such as Nike, Timberland, Ralph Lauren and Armani — to “College Kids on a College Budget,” just as the website suggests.
“Unlike retail stores that mark up their products for customers, we decided to keep our prices reasonable and affordable with students in mind,” Reeder said.
“Also, because we are mainly an online business, this allows us to save storefront costs and deliver products straight to students’ doorsteps.”
The founders of Campus Kicks also collaborated with student organizations on campus, such as different fraternity and sorority chapters, OU ImPRessions, and Bobcats for Israel.
The website is created by web-design students, the advertising is produced by marketing students, and it has students working on the Campus Kicks Street Team to promote the business.
Becky Sebo, a freshman studying dance, is both a customer and Street Team member. As a promoter for the business in the process of creating a Campus Kicks flash mob, she sees the success of this business and knows it will become and stay an Athens staple.
“There’s really nothing else like it in Athens,” Sebo said. “All of the students that I have talked to about this store are excited and love the products they have bought. I know that every Ohio University student can find something that they will like at Campus Kicks.”
sl642509@ohiou.edu
