The students of the Fashion Merchandising department’s Visual Merchandising class will be designing a retail space for a local business owner, Emily George. George owns Pointe Foure Vintage Boutique at 2508 Peach St.

On Thursday night, the students will go to the store and apply skills they learned in the classroom.

“The students will be divided into four groups where they will create fall-themed displays for Pointe Foure’s owner, Emily George,” said Camilo Rodriguez, freshman student event coordinator.

The students in the class include Annelise Baker, Ashley Ferrari, Brianna Harrison, Alexis Jonak, Nancy Jones, Allyse Kaliszewski, Genevieve Kress, Caitlyn Lechene, Yosel Yadik, Connor Northrup, Hannah Park, Mari Santangelo, Dechlyn Sheffer, Kathryn Summers, Abigail Winger and Caitlyn Padovano.

The students will also be hosting “Fall into Fashion” on Nov. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. During this event, the public will be able to visit the store and vote on their favorite display. Anyone who comes to the store that night will be receive a coupon for 20 percent off their purchase for that night only.

The students are working with George and her shop because of success in the past.

“Ms. Magorien, our instructor, enjoyed her past experiences with Pointe Foure and decided to keep it up this year,” Rodriguez said.

George says that working with the students is great and that it is an important experience for them. The experience of taking what they learn in class and applying it is something every student should have.

The students also agree that the hands-on experience is important and exciting.

“Having the opportunity to have our event at Pointe Foure is incredible because we are able to receive hands-on experience with visual merchandising, which is a dream career for some of the students,” said Rodriguez. “The hands-on experience the class is receiving is so important to our growth within our industry. It opens our eyes to the terms and techniques we’ve been learning and how they actually work.”

As an added bonus, the event supports Erie businesses.

“It also allows us students to support local businesses, which is a major focal point of our event. Many of our donations for the raffle prizes and the food are from locally owned businesses in the Erie community,” said Rodriguez. “We know how important these small businesses are to the growth of Erie and we in the Fashion department want to see them flourish.

All in all, the event is beneficial for everyone involved, especially the students, who gain real-world experience.

“Mercyhurst is a school that truly prepares students for their eventual careers because so many classes allow students to escape the classroom and start practicing the things they love to do,” Rodriguez said.