How did the idea for the online store come about?

Over the summer, we were trying to figure out how can we make more money, how can this business make more money. We were in desperate need of a new revenue stream. And we realized there is a whole demographic we’re not reaching and that’s parents.

 What features do you plan to include on the website?

It will house all kinds of merchandise and we’re planning on having apparel and things like water bottles, lanyards and anything Carmel-related will be on this website. In the future we are hoping to incorporate different clubs here at Carmel so it can be a center for a district as a whole and not just Carmel.

 What will the layout of the website look like?

It’s gonna look very similar to any online website. It’s completely student-run; students are building it and it looks fantastic. It looks really professional and awesome and our students have done a great job.

 Who is involved in the project besides DECA?

We worked really closely within our chapter and also with administration. (Principal Tom) Harmas has been a huge help for us and referencing us to the superintendent, so the district as a whole has been investing in the future of this project.

 When will the online store be available?

We’re meeting with (Michael) Beresford, the superintendent of our district, here in the next couple weeks. We’re hoping to have it launched by the end of this school year. We’ve created an entire department to help facilitate the production of all of our products and stuff like that, so (it will be ready) for sure by the end of this year and hopefully it will be ready to use by the beginning of next year.

 What is going to be available to purchase on the store?

We’ll have everything from jackets to T-shirts to sweatpants to water bottles, lanyards. We’re hoping it’s a one-stop-shop for all your Carmel needs.

 Is there going to be any club merchandise available?

Our initial launch will be just Carmel Cafe and Market merchandise that we designed as well as Nike and all of that. We’re hoping to reach out to some of the larger clubs here at Carmel in the future for them to design or for us to be able to design T-shirts for them, then put them on the website. That’s a partnership that’s in the works, but we haven’t reached out to any specific clubs yet.

 What will the price range of the items be?

A lot of these items will be similar to the prices you’ve seen in the Carmel Cafe, and because we’re trying to reach a parent demographic, we have such a diverse product mix that’s gonna be going on. So there will be more expensive things like jackets and stuff like that. And there will be things like our Comfort Color T-shirts that everyone loves that will be at the same price level so there won’t be a change there.

 How are the orders going to be delivered?

All of our online orders are going to be shipped out of Carmel High School through the United States Postal Service (USPS), but we’re going to create an option where if your student does attend Carmel High School, your student can come pick up the item from the cafe. So, we’re trying to make it as easy as possible to where we can ship it to your door or you come pick it up in house.

 Who will this store be available to?

This website will be for everyone in the community.

 How do you think this website will impact CHS as a whole?

I think this is such a great opportunity, not only for our business students to get that real- world experience of developing this platform, but also for parents of students who are not in athletics to have access to Carmel apparel. Right now there really isn’t a generic place where you can go get Carmel stuff, so I think this is a really cool way for the city of Carmel to come together and all wear Carmel stuff to football games and ultimately it is just a rallying of our community.