Meet Darcy Blottenberger | Entrepreneur & Founder of NCSUsed

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darcy Blottenberger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darcy, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I actually came up with the idea for NCSUsed at freshman orientation at the Poole College of Management at NC State. We were split into small groups, given 20 minutes to come up with an idea for a unique business proposition, and then present our idea to the rest of the groups. I thought it would be pretty neat to have a donation-driven thrift shop specifically for college merchandise, and pitched that idea to the rest of the orientation groups.

A few months later, my scholarship program through the Shelton Leadership Center tasked each of the scholars to conduct an open-ended, community-driven project that in theory could last us over our several years with the program at NC State. Immediately, I knew this was an amazing opportunity to research and implement my business idea.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
NCSUsed is a thrift store comprised of NC State merchandise that provides spiritwear at an inexpensive price and a convenient location, while promoting sustainable fashion with unique designs. NCSUsed collects NC State spiritwear donations from the community, then resells the merchandise for a super affordable price and a wide variety of designs.

Over my years at NC State, I’ve gotten to research, plan, build, launch, and operate NCSUsed alongside my studies and extracurriculars, and have had the opportunity to present my experience through Shelton Leadership Center platforms. I love to pursue causes I am passionate about, and combining my love for fashion with a way to give back to my community has been an incredible experience. Be it conducting market research, launching a brand and a website, hosting donation drives, or conducting advertising campaigns and pop-up sales, NCSUsed has awarded me with precious experience as a college graduate, businesswoman, and as a woman looking to make a difference in her community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question! I am a huge foodie and love exploring new places and trying new things, so over my time spent here in Raleigh, I’ve made it a goal of mine to do and see as much as possible. Food-wise, few big standouts for me are Irregardless and Lime and Lemon. I love the eclectic, cozy atmosphere at Irregardless, and they never fail to deliver a fun, delicious, well-balanced meal. Lime and Lemon is also amazing, with the best Indian cuisine I’ve tried in the Raleigh area.

As a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, my favorite hobby ever is trying new coffee shops, so of course, I would need to take my friend to check some out. A few of my local favorites are The Optimist, Boulted Bread, and Drift. And as for other things to do, I would definitely take my friend to the NC State farmer’s market, then perhaps to walk around Lake Johnson, and to meander around boutiques and shops downtown before grabbing some Howling Cow ice cream from NC State. I love how many vibrant small businesses there are here in Raleigh, and would love to share that with my friend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My forever heroes and supporters are my family. As with everything I do, they have been here to support me every step of the way with NCSUsed, whether being an outlet to brainstorm with, sending my initial market research survey to friends and coworkers, making trips from Baltimore to Raleigh to help me with my pop-up shops, or watching me present my research findings and business plan. They love and support me unconditionally, and for that I am forever grateful.

I am also incredibly proud of being part of the Shelton Scholars program at NC State, and would love to extend a massive shoutout to the program, staff, advisors, and Shelton Leadership Center as a whole for their role in molding me to become the values-based leader I am today.

Website: https://ncsused.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ncsused/