GatchaMatcha
As matcha took the tea world by storm, Haley Kharvari, senior in LAS, and Ananya Gupta, senior in Business, hopped on the bandwagon and started their on-campus business, GatchaMatcha.
“Our goal … is just to share matcha with as many people as possible and make it as accessible as possible,” Gupta said.
The two girls, along with the help of friends, host pop-up cafes in their apartment roughly twice a month. They sell homemade treats and matcha drinks, complete with homemade flavor syrups. Furthermore, their pop-up cafes often display a unique theme; Kharvari remembers their Valentine’s Day theme to be one of her favorites.
In addition to pop-up cafes, GatchaMatcha hosts workshops for RSOs.
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“We partner with RSOs, and we give workshops to their members,” Gupta said. “We teach them about matcha, how to make it, all the tips and tricks, and they’re able to make their own at the workshops. That has been a fun way to meet new people and get to know the different (RSOs) on campus.”
Kharvari and Gupta stated that, above all else, they run GatchaMatcha because they love the community that it has brought to both the campus and to those working behind the scenes for all their events.
“Our cafe is really focused on building community and sharing our love of matcha with the people around us,” Kharvari said.
To join the GatchaMatcha community or to find more information on its pop-up sales and events, interested students should check out its Instagram page.
Tans by Hal
As fall and winter creep in, students who want to keep their summer glow should look no further than Tans by Hal. Halle Rubino, sophomore in Business, is a new addition to the student-run businesses on campus, but she is going strong with over 30 tans so far this semester.
“I always would see girls either paying outrageous prices for spray tans or using really terrible products on their skin, so I saw a market,” Rubino said.
Rubino has a passion for dermatology and skin health and is certified in sunless spray tanning using safe, FDA-approved chemical solutions. She schedules mobile appointments and holds select appointments at her social sorority house.
“I have a tent, which I spray the girls in, (and) the machine, and I mix the solution for people’s specific skin tones,” Rubino said. “Then I just set up fake little sticky feet, hair nets, little things that make the appointment better.”
Rubino is excited to bring her mobile tanning salon to campus and has been thrilled with her growing popularity. Interested students can book an appointment via a link in her Instagram bio.
“My favorite is when I hear a ton of girls say about someone I tan, ‘Oh my gosh, that person looks so good,’ or I see a person post a picture in their tan; it makes me feel really great,” Rubino said. “I just like helping people feel beautiful.”
Itxel’s Glossery
Itxel Guerrero, junior in Education and a licensed nail technician since June 2024, runs her small business, Itxel’s Glossery, out of her campus apartment.
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Guerrero was inspired to start doing nails professionally after she and her sister put a pause on their baking business, which was her primary creative outlet for some time.
“I was the cookie artist,” Guerrero said. “It involved doing a lot of the detailed cookies and other sweet treats, and a lot of the skills transferred over to my nail business.”
Guerrero offers a variety of self-care services, including acrylic nails, soft and hard builder gel, gel-X and no-chip. While she enjoys expressing her creativity through nail art, she loves her technician-client relationships most.
“I love getting to know new faces on campus,” Guerrero said. “It’s just really special to see how something so simple as a self-care service can create a wonderful relationship between my client and me. Making those meaningful relationships is really special.”
For more information about Itxel’s Glossery and the services she provides, prospective clients can find a link to Guerrero’s website in her Instagram bio. Clients can also book appointments via her website or join a waiting list if they are hoping for an earlier time slot.
