While the assortment of consignment shops and the Goodwill in town offer an array of cheap clothes, when it comes to the crazy gear required for fraternity parties these stores often come up short. Chris White, '11, took note of the lack of bizarre clothing available in Greencastle and decided to do something about it.
After graduating from DePauw in 2011, White began graduate school at University of Colorado-Boulder. White is currently pursuing his Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) in Boulder, Colo. White expects to graduate in 2015.
During his time in Boulder, White has participated in many entrepreneurship opportunities and been involved with several startup projects and venture capital.
Along the way, he has continued to notice a need for goofy and themed clothing for the parties on college campuses.
White thought back to the way he dressed for DePauw parties and where he got those clothes.
"I thought to myself, 'Geez there is no way I dressed like a crazy lunatic every weekend with the choices Greencastle offered'," White said.
He would often drive to Plainfield and even as far as Indianapolis to achieve the perfect look for a party or event.
"While Boulder has some awesome selections, I wondered why there wasn't anywhere online that collaborated this type of clothing," White said.
He started looking into the building of such a website.
"I just couldn't stop thinking about it," White said. "I finally decided, 'I'm gonna do it.'"
In December 2013, White launched his company and website under the name "Shinesty." Since the start up, Shinesty has consistently sold out of its many collections and gained well over 1000 followers to their mailing list.
"[Shinesty] is basically a curated online marketplace of everything from 80's gear to American flag shirts or ugly Christmas sweaters for company or fraternity parties," White said.
The site goes for a very vintage, radical sort of feel, featuring models carrying American flags and sporting eccentric beards. Their mission, as a company, is "to bring you the most outlandish collection of clothing the world has ever seen."
"I think this is a cool idea," said first-year Oliver Mauk. "I have never heard of anything like this before."
Shinesty is unique because, unlike a thrift shop where clothes are donated with no benefit to the donator, Shinesty actually gives the opportunity for the donator to make money. Customers who think they own something that might sell, they can ship it to Shinesty at the company's expense. If the company then decides that the clothes match their mission, they will photograph the clothing on their models and make it available to customers. Fifty percent of the proceeds items make go back to the person who donated, 60 percent if the donor chooses in-store credit.
While the company is still very much grassroots, it has been getting big publicity recently. It was first featured on UC-Boulder's website, but eventually moved up to reach national attention. The Huffington Post recently featured Shinesty in the small business section.
"I know I am always looking for that next great show-stopper," first-year Freddy Lavric said. "This site sounds like a great place to find that."
White says that he is always looking for suggestions on how to make the site better, as well as general comments from customers.
Shinesty is trying to receive feedback by featuring a page dedicated to their followers on the popular social media site Instagram. Customers are encouraged to post pictures of themselves wearing the clothing they purchase from the store and to include #Shinesty or #ShineOn, the company's motto. Shinesty will feature the best photos on their main website.
"Since starting Shinesty, I have had a blast," said White. "I have learned a ton and have met a bunch of really great people along the way."