4 Ever Young Thrift Store, owned by LAUNCH entrepreneur and senior at The Howard School, Deshel Hambrick, will celebrate its grand opening on March 11, from 12-3 p.m. and kick off The Cinderella Event, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m.
With prom season coming up, Ms. Hambrick wanted to make sure every girl gets a chance to feel like a princess without having to spend the riches. Her answer was the Cinderella Event. During the month of March, 4 Ever Young Thrift Store will accept donations of gently-worn prom dresses, and will make them available in her store for students to purchase at a discounted rate. Girls can keep the dresses, or anyone who returns her dress in good condition after the prom, will receive 50% of the cost of the dress in store credit to spend at 4 Ever Young. Prom dress donations can be dropped off at the The Howard School main office during school hours.
4 Ever Young is at The Howard School, in the old gymnasium behind the school’s main building. Store hours will be Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Ms. Hambrick was a part of the 2012 LAUNCH High School Entrepreneurship Program, winning $1,000 to start 4 Ever Young Thrift Store. Throughout the semester-long program, students are taught business start-up fundamentals, focusing on market opportunities, viability, feasibility, and innovation, equipping them to launch and grow successful entrepreneurial ventures. At the end of the program, students present and pitch their small business plans at a regional competition, held at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
LAUNCH’s adult business classes for entrepreneurs will begin the week of March 10, with class locations including The Bethlehem Center, Glass Street and Northside Neighborhood House. For more information about the classes, call 423 523-9307.