Hannah Haseloff | Lariat Photographer
By Shannon Barbour
Reporter
This isn’t “Fixer Upper,” but Baylor students are helping Mission Waco fix up The Clothesline, Mission Waco’s resale shop.
Dr. Rochelle Brunson, Family and consumer sciences professor, teaches a visual merchandising and promotion class which proposed several improvements to The Clothesline Monday afternoon in Goebel Building.
“I loved it,” said Michelle Felkner, manager of The Clothesline. “They had some really good ideas. I can’t believe they did it on such a small budget.”
Brunson proposed working with Mission Waco to her students who were then given a budget of $500 to make improvements to the downtown Waco location.
First lady Alice Starr attended the proposal and said she was impressed by the students’ ability to make significant improvements with a strict budget.
“I thought that each student stood their own ground and truly made an effort to make enhancements that were cost effective,” Starr said. “They wanted to do as much as they could on a very tight budget to help Mission Waco.”
Danae Hughes, Lake Jackson senior, said she used her experience in merchandising to help The Clothesline build their business.
“Visual merchandising helps increase a company’s business,” Hughes said. “Part of why we’re doing this project for Clothesline is to increase their sales revenue by allowing our work to be fundamentally changing to the aesthetics to their store.”
Hughes and her classmates proposed The Clothesline increase their online and social media presence in addition to improving their aesthetics.
“I think our proposals are well rounded,” Hughes said. “I think we present an aesthetic appeal and a business appeal. We’re proposing something that’s feasible.”
Students discussed changing the color scheme, adding curtains and other ways to improve the aesthetics of The Clothesline.
Felkner and Joyce Brammer, supervisor of The Clothesline, said they plan on using the suggestions on improving signs inside and outside the store in addition to changing the paint colors immediately.
Felkner, Brammer and members from The Clothesline’s board were pleased with the suggestions and the effort that each student gave and would like to continue working with Brunson’s classes in the future.
“Very applicable, not out of reason,” Brammer said. “They clearly put a lot of time and effort in it.”
