A lot of startup companies crash and burn, but in Bloomington,  across from IU’s sample gates, SLCT Stock sneaker and vintage clothing store has thrived.

A little less than a year ago, IU Kelley School of Business graduate Nick Ayala  bought into a buy, sell, and trade business model for his company. The store has caught on, and made a major impact on IU students and members of the community. The business philosophy behind the store it enables IU students to potentially make some money off their own unwanted clothes.

“We buy stuff from customers and customers will bring stuff in a lot,” Ayala said. “This is the only store–and there’s a couple stores in Indiana that does something similar to this–but this is the only store that you can bring something that you might not ever be able to sell, and I will give you money. I will give you cash for it, on the spot.”

Ayala first started  thrifting in high school, but the hobby faded as his workload picked up in college. After graduation, Ayala went to Michigan to work at Toyota, then realized his true passion and  returned to Bloomington to open the store.

IU senior Phil Ashenbremer goes thrifting and to garage sales in his free time. He is also a fashion design major at IU who makes a lot of money off his own clothes. Ayala hired Ashenbremer over the summer to work at the store and he has  reaped the benefits of trading some of his own clothes.

“Any student around here who needs some quick cash, and they’ve got some dope clothes that they don’t wear too often, and decided it didn’t have the right fit they wanted, or it’s kind of out of style, (or) that’ not your color right now–you can just go there and get some quick cash,” Ashenbremer said.

Now that Ayala is back in Bloomington with this store, he considers it ‘giving back to the community’ to offer students low cost clothing as well as quick cash.

“I do like to (sell) local product as well, Ayala said. “One of my friends has a clothing line that we sell here, one of my interns has a clothing line, he’s 17, I’ll put his shirts in here because I think they’re pretty cool, and that’s all it takes. People come in here and say ,’Can I put my stuff in your store?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, bring it in. If it’s cool and I like it, I would love to put it in the store because I went to IU and I obviously want to give back to people who go here because I love the school and I think it’s cool.”