Here, failure is an option.
Successful innovators and entrepreneurs take risks and never give up. When you take a risk, failure is an option, and often the quickest way to learn and improve. The Retail Lab provides an important space for entrepreneurs to test their ideas through sales and customer feedback.
This alternative type of retail offers a lab-type approach for creative thinkers and doers from a wide range of backgrounds to put their ideas into action. Retail Lab customers have the opportunity to take an active part in developing ideas into successful products and services ready to go out to market.
Open Hours at the Retail Lab
Monday through Thursday from 12-8pm
The Retail Lab | 1235 W Broad Street
Looking for a space at VCU to connect, create, or test ideas?
Join us during our open hours for hands-on activities, drop in questions, casual convos, and to brainstorm and meet students and staff from the da Vinci Center. No RSVP needed, just drop in when you can!
Join the Shelfie Program
The Retail Lab's Shelfie Program provides the opportunity for creators and makers to test their ideas and learn by doing. Feedback is our currency, helping projects evolve with every try.
Participants bring concepts to life, connect with real customers, and gain valuable insights. Shift is more than retail, it’s a supportive space to explore, create, and grow.
Fall 2026 Application & Cohort Dates
Cohort One
Bootcamp: August 29, 12-2 pm
Prototype Workshop: September 3, 4-6 pm
Pitch Workshop: September 10, 4-6 pm
Pitch Practice: September 17, 4-6 pm
Feedback Friday: September 18, 4-6 pm
Growth Starts Here—Food Shelfie Program
The Food Shelfie Program is a supportive launchpad for food and beverage entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses. It is designed to help you strengthen your business’s foundation, covering everything from business planning and branding to accounting, legal, regulatory compliance, and more through hands-on learning, expert mentorship, and real-world feedback.
Events
Attend an Event
We host many events at the Retail Lab and you are invited!
The events at the Retail Lab are designed to inspire diverse talent within the VCU community, build community and support entrepreneurship.
Host an Event
Our space makes a great venue for any of your events!
From happy hours and fashion shows, to concerts and speaking events, we are happy to help make your event a success.
Stay Updated
Get updates, inspiration, and event invites straight to your inbox.
Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about new Shelfies, upcoming events, workshops, and ways to get involved at da Vinci. We don’t spam, just the good stuff.
FAQs
The Retail Lab at VCU is a multifunctional retail space where past and present VCU students can showcase their work to gain insights and test their products, services, and ideas with real world customers.
Please fill out one application per team, idea, and/or product. All VCU students and alumni are welcome to apply!
If you are a not a current student and are interested in getting involved, please contact us at davincicenter@vcu.edu
Take our micro-credentials in Design Thinking, Business Model Canvas, Art of the Pitch, and Digital Literacy.
Micro-credentials are short, flexible, asynchronous learning modules designed to help participants develop the specialized, job-ready skills.
Complete our micro-credential courses to earn Credly badges and share on your LinkedIn profile!
It depends on the product. When you browse the shelves at the Retail Lab you may see some items fully formed and ready to buy. You will also see projects that need a little help. This is the magic of this alternative type of retail where customers take an active part in developing ideas into successful products and services ready to go out to market.
If a student entrepreneur has their product for sale, you can purchase through their POS. Students may use an ecommerce website, Venmo, or CashApp.
Are you a VCU graduate? Do you own your own business? We want to know!
The Office of Alumni Relations wants to learn more about our alumni entrepreneurs so that we can support them whenever possible. By collecting the names, addresses and types of companies, we are building a database of VCU alumni-owned businesses.
Donate to our Student Founders Fund to provide resources for their success.
Join our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with our student entrepreneurs and upcoming events!
Invest in the Retail Lab
Financial contributions to the Retail Lab go directly to supporting student entrepreneurs who are looking to test their ideas, products, and services through sales and customer feedback.
Our Partners
The Retail Lab at VCU is brought to you by the
VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation.
Construction of the Retail Lab was made possible by a partnership with Mark Hourigan and Hourigan Group.
Branding created by students from VCU Brandcenter.
Find Us
Come see where ideas come to life!
The Retail Lab is located on Broad Street across from the Stuart C. Siegel Center.