Two student entrepreneurs can point customers to the Lafayette College Store to purchase their products: Jahi Heath ‘25 with Black Rose Haven and Virginia Sacotingo ‘25 with College Girl Planner.
Black Rose Haven, a clothing line, almost sold out during its first weekend in the store, according to the manager of the college store Peter Violante.
“I still describe it as unreal,” Heath said. “Seeing different people wearing brand Black Rose Haven, seeing people wearing my shirts, really resonating with the mission and the purpose behind this.”
Black Rose Haven was designed by Heath and his mother. He said he hopes to find more Black artists to feature in future products.
“Black Rose Haven is a brand that I started to not only dismantle the negative stereotypes that are inflicted upon Black and brown people within my communities, or just communities in general, but also to become a platform to showcase the talents, passions and just the rich culture of African Americans in general,” Heath said.
He first had the idea for Black Rose Haven during his junior year of high school. He worked on creating the clothes in college and sold his first products during the fall semester. Heath scans the art to digitize it, then works with a wholesaler to combine the art with vintage streetwear.
Sacotingo’s College Girl Planner hit the college store March 5.
“As a college girl, I want other college girls to feel confident in who they are and the things they want to do,” Sacotingo said. “I don’t want college girls to feel like people keep telling them that they can’t do multiple things at one time.”
The planner features sections for tasks and appointments for each day. It also includes brain dump and reflection sections as well as a set of stickers. Users can also add involvements, a side hustle and goals for the course of the year or semester.
“Can I still have all those things going on while being heavily involved on campus?” Sacotingo said. “Yes, you can, but you have to structure it accordingly so you don’t get overwhelmed, and that’s the whole point of that format.”
She based the planner on methods she uses for herself.
“All these concepts work together, flow together, so that you can have an intentional lifestyle,” Sacotingo said. “It’s really tailored to your personal lifestyle.”
Sacotingo started creating digital planners in the summer before her junior year. She made her planners physical in 2024 because those using the planners required it.
Both Heath and Sacotingo worked with Rita Chesterton, the director of the Dyer Center, a space designed to assist students in entrepreneurial ventures. Heath is a Dyer Fellow and regularly works with the hub. Sacotingo received a grant from the Dyer Center to develop the College Girl Planner.
“It’s just a great place to showcase what our Lafayette students are doing,” Chesterton said about the Lafayette College Store. “Students go in, alumni go in, parents go in and we want to show them and help students show off what it is they’re creating.”
The Dyer Center connected Heath and Sacotingo to Peter Violante, the manager of the college store.
“Peter’s just been amazing and helpful and receptive to helping be that first step for a lot of students,” Chesterton said. “Being able to provide that level of support for students to just be their first retail outlet is, I really think, invaluable.”
