By: Rory Cahill

Of all the things you might expect to see when visiting UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, four students dressed as pickles probably isn’t one of them. But this is no ordinary day. This is the Terp Marketplace, where Terps with small businesses can promote themselves and sell their wares—including pickles.

“We had these costumes from Halloween, and we figured that it would be a great way to show that we aren’t just pickles in business, we are pickles in spirit,” Eric Bennett, a senior double majoring in Chinese and computer science, said. 

The marketplace offers a variety of products. From knitted clothes to student-run magazines to AI-based products, if students can make and sell it, it’s probably there. Held in Van Munching Hall, the market is hosted by the Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship. 

Tsega Tadesse, the center’s director of strategic impact and engagement, said the center aims to help students get their business ideas off the ground. 

“We provide funding, we provide skills development and education, we provide experiential programs,” Tadesse said. 

“[Terp Marketplace] is for anyone who’s interested in entrepreneurship,” LaKendra Harden, the Dingman Center’s MBA in residence and a marketplace organizer, said. “If you have an idea, if you just started, or you already have an established product, this is a good time to showcase that to other students and actually make sales, or do customer discovery and get feedback on an idea you’re working on.”

Junior neuroscience major Aditya Singhvi, who is working on a program to make scheduling doctors’ appointments easier, appreciates the opportunity to get feedback from other students. 

“It’s really helpful, especially if it’s the beginning developmental stages,” he said.

Amy Miller, a junior architecture major, sells crocheted animals and said the marketplace is the ideal place to do so. Miller started crocheting during the pandemic and decided to start selling her designs due to the rising costs of yarn and school supplies.

“It’s kind of a good opportunity to get some tabling experience without having to go in the hole with the vendor fees, and it allows you to experiment with different kinds of things because you’re not as worried about that financial compensation,” Miller said.

And then, there are the pickles.

Chris and Eric’s Pickles brought four flavors to the marketplace. In addition to standard dill pickles, they have more flavors like New Bay, Hot Honey and mango habanero. Chris and Eric’s Pickles offered free samples to those who might want to try these flavors without committing to a whole jar.

Bennett said the process of developing flavors comes from thinking of a name or a flavor that hasn’t been applied in the pickle space.

“Like mango habanero, for example,” Bennett said. “It’s a great Buffalo Wild Wings flavor, but it’s never really been a pickle.”  

Featured Image: Students dressed as pickles at Terp Marketplace at the Robert H. Smith School of Business on Nov. 11, 2025. By Rory Cahill