'Studying Never Stops': Young entrepreneur turns love for books into educational movement
PHILADELPHIA - A young entrepreneur from Philadelphia turned an idea for a bracelet business into an educational venture that encourages kids and teens to read more.
Brandyn Ross started ‘Brandyn Basketball Bracelets’ at 9-years-old after his church pastor inspired him to find something he was passionate about.
Brandyn loved basketball and always wore bracelets, so he naturally combined the two to make stylish wristwear adorned with beads and little basketballs.
The bracelets were a hit, but Brandyn said that he wanted to use the profits to find a purpose for his business.
He got the idea to buy books for barbershops and beauty salons when he noticed that there was nothing for him to read during his weekly haircuts.
"I needed a purpose for my business, so I just thought of putting books in barbershops and beauty salons for kids to read in Philadelphia," Brandyn told Good Day Philadelphia.
The Ross's used 10% of the bracelet proceeds to buy books for Philadelphia barbershops and have since branded the movement ‘Studying Never Stops.’
"One day he was reading a book under the drier waiting for his hair to dry and that's when he came up with ‘Studying Never Stops,’" Brandi said.
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Brandyn asked his mom to place the mantra on a shirt, and like the basketball bracelets, he received a lot of interest from prospective buyers.
The slogan is available to promote on hoodies, mugs, hats and socks. Brandyn said the merchandise can be purchased online or at the Cherry Hill Mall.
The Ross's hope to bring the Philly-born brand onto the national level to encourage more reading among the country's youth.
"That's one of our goals, to have Studying Never Stops grow throughout the nation," Brandi said. "It's for everybody, everybody can relate to it."
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