Did you know that there are over 250 local businesses in Hoboken? Throughout the city, stores continue to open and close as the days go by, but do you really know what they sell? Now more than ever, it has become crucial to support local businesses; fortunately, with the help of a group of Stevens students, it will now become even easier to support the local community!
Google Developer Student Clubs (DSC) are community groups intended for students who are interested in using Google technologies to solve real-world problems. Students who join a DSC are able to grow their knowledge in a peer-to-peer environment and are able to build solutions for local businesses and their communities. Last semester, Project Crystal became the first DSC project created by a group of Stevens students, and now Square Mile Market is the latest addition to DSC brought on by members of the Stevens community.
Square Mile Market consists of Stevens students: Google DSC Lead/President William Escamilla, Vice President Justin O’Boyle, Technician Lead Anton Danylenko, Design Lead Kaiqi Chee, and Business Lead Mike Prizant. The whole idea behind the project, according to Escamilla, is to “bridge that connection between customers, business owners, and the Hoboken community.”
With the pandemic hitting full force on global economies, local Hoboken businesses have faced extreme challenges to stay afloat since the start of the lockdown. Square Mile Market is here to help. The group has been reaching out to businesses through email, Instagram, and even contacted the Hoboken City Council to get involved in this collaboration. “We wanted to create a platform for local businesses to compete with major online realtors … everybody is shopping on Amazon,” Escamilla said, “and so we are creating a catalog website for anyone in Hoboken to shop local.”
While Square Mile Market is still reaching out to various businesses within the Hoboken community, they hope people will spread the word and gain more products to include in their website. There will even be a section for businesses that sell a service, not just products. The website will include a business spotlight where a blurb and section is given for what the business does and who they are. Square Mile Market will provide all the information to contact.
The group has also been setting up interviews and talking to local businesses. Just a few weeks ago, they were able to meet up with Little City Books, a local bookstore in Hoboken, and this past week interviewed Local Thread, a company involved in T-shirt and hat prints for various businesses. “Various owners already have their minds set on helping our community. With Local Thread, customers can pick the local business they want their money to go towards,” Escamilla mentioned. Though they are focusing on products and services in their first phase, Escamilla brought up how they are interested in connecting with restaurants in Phase 2 of their project. However, with prominent establishments like Uber Eats and Grubhub, it is not their main priority.
The Square Mile Market group is optimistic about their work, and they plan on submitting their video to Google by March 31. This time, “we’re shooting for number 1,” Escamilla emphasized. Last year, Project Crystal was ranked top 20 globally and top 3 nationally. If the group were to win this year, they will have the opportunity to receive mentorship from Google employees and further broaden their connections.
The website is currently in the process of being finished; however, the group plans on hopefully launching it this weekend.
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