An Inside Look at Campus Drive Boutique: A Student’s New Fashion-Forward Business

Photo by Makenzie Pennington, owner of Campus Drive Boutique

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: tailgate season. There is no better time to experiment with the newest fashion trends while also repping the Terps. If you want to stand out this tailgate season, look no further than Campus Drive Boutique.

Junior elementary education major Bailey Folsom loves to rep custom tailgate pieces and is always on the lookout for new, trendy gear.

“Campus Drive Boutique has new and unique designs that I haven’t seen before, which definitely makes it stand out against other tailgate shops,” said Folsom.

About Campus Drive Boutique

Campus Drive Boutique was started by sophomore Makenzie Pennington in August. Pennington is a criminology and criminal justice and history double major, with aspirations to attend law school after graduation. Despite her demanding schedule, Pennington maintains her own tailgate apparel business as a creative outlet.

“I have always been a creative and crafty person, but I’ve never really found anything I was good at,'' said Pennington.

The Creative Process

In August 2019, Pennington purchased a brand new Cricut machine, which cuts and draws any design and transfers it onto nearly any medium, including cardstock, leather, poster board, vinyl and more. She uses this to create her custom tailgate apparel.

“After playing around with it for the first day, I realized I can make and sell some pretty unique things... I had to come up with a product that wasn’t something that was just ‘in’ right now, but something that college students would continue to buy,” said Pennington. “That’s how I came up with tailgate clothes.”

Campus Drive Boutique offers three unique designs that Pennington customizes for any school. These include a cropped sweatshirt with a cheerful font printed on the front, a cropped tee with stars and a fitted tube top with a trendy dripping font. This is not your basic tailgate gear; these one-of-a-kind designs will take your look to the next level.

Photo By Mackenzie Pennington

“Coming up with these designs is much harder than most people think. I have to play around with different fonts and layouts for hours to get the perfect, unique design I'm looking for. But, when I finally get it, those hours of work paid off.”

Getting Down to Business

From the outside, this operation may look pretty simple; you just make the shirts and sell them, right? Wrong. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes.

“Coming up with a product idea is the easy part. I never thought I would have to put so much time and money into making shirts,” Pennington admitted.

The first step was coming up with a name for her business. “Campus Drive Boutique” is inspired by Campus Drive, the road that runs through the heart of Maryland’s campus. Pennington chose “Boutique” because it adds a fun and feminine flare. Pennington’s next step was choosing the style of shirts she would sell. Through social media and personal observation, she was able to select styles that she saw girls wearing most frequently in a tailgate setting.

Talking Money and Marketing

The next step in Pennington’s business endeavors was finding a site that sold quality apparel at an affordable price point that she would be able to use for her customizations. After finding the perfect supplier, she chose a price point to sell her apparel.

“I wanted to price my shirts based on two things: an average college student’s budget, and how much profit I wanted to make per shirt,” said Pennington.

After many calculations and research, Pennington landed on the decision to establish a price point ranging from $20 to $25 per shirt. Once she had the logistics in line, she created an Instagram account (@campusdriveboutique) and an Etsy, where she easily sells the apparel online.

“Marketing is probably the most important part of having a business,” Pennington said. “People can’t buy your product if they don't know you exist!”

Pennington began promoting her apparel. By following several college students, frequently posting finished products and hosting sales and giveaways, Pennington was able to network with college students from near and far. Pennington makes most of her sales through her Instagram account because most of her followers are UMD students.

The Future of Campus Drive Boutique

Campus Drive Boutique has been up and running for about a month now. Not only does Pennington have new designs in the works, but she is getting ready to introduce new, fashionable styles. On Campus Drive Boutique’s Instagram, you will find a sneak peak of an edgy one-shoulder design that’s coming in the near future. Plus, Pennington is working on ordering jean jackets – a tailgate necessity for the chilly fall and winter months.

Now, it’s time to go shop… and you should, too!