When the Northwestern Alumni-Owned Small Business Directory launched in 2020, Austin Harvey (Communication ’04) was the first alumnus to register his business, a beer cafe called Beermiscuous with locations in Highwood and Lakeview. 

The NU Alumni Association built the registry with listings from 400 alumni who submitted their businesses through a public form. Since then, the directory has doubled in size, boasting nearly 800 listings.

Director of Alumni Engagement Bobby Dunlap said he launched the directory during the COVID-19 pandemic when he recognized the need to support the alumni community during lockdown. 

“For those small businesses that were really hurting at the outset of the pandemic, this was just another avenue by which they could advertise their services or their goods so that fellow Wildcats could help support one another,” Dunlap said.

After verifying alumni status, NAA adds a business’ name, location and owner to the directory. Each entry also has a “how to support” section.

Directory users can filter small businesses by country, state and city. While the Chicagoland area is most represented, the directory includes businesses around the globe, with 39 businesses in 23 regions outside of the United States, from Hong Kong to Mexico to Germany.

Business owners can also categorize their companies with designations like women-owned or Black-owned. Around the holiday season, NAA promotes the directory on social media as part of “#SmallBusinessSaturday.”

Beyond providing a resource for the NU community to support alumni, the NAA uses the directory as their own database. The directory showcases the variety of career paths and opportunities alumni pursue, Dunlap said. He also noted that the NAA often turns to the directory to source gifts for alumni volunteers or contributors to the school for “that extra (NU) touch.” 

Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Paige Vaughn-Patel said Mini Melanie, a business on the directory, has even been featured at NAA events. The New York City bakery created purple chocolate cake truffles for an NU alumni gathering, and owner Melanie Moss (Weinberg ’08) hosted a virtual baking workshop for alumni during the pandemic.

“It’s grown into a tool that we use when we’re choosing vendors or places to host our engagement events,” Vaughn-Patel, who now manages the directory, said.

Since being the first business listed on the directory, Beermiscuous has also been the site of numerous NU alumni events. Harvey has hosted seasonal virtual beer tastings for alumni during the pandemic, watch parties for NU basketball and football games and NAA networking events for “#NUConnects”. 

“We have definitely developed a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood and on the north side of town as a place that (NU) fans can come in and watch games and not be afraid that their cheers are going to be found out by those of the other team,” Harvey said.

For Harvey, Beermiscuous is a place where NU alumni can meet old classmates and make new friends. 

He said that fresh graduates can find a welcoming and friendly atmosphere at Beermiscuous as they navigate young adulthood.

“The directory is another way for us to connect with the (NU) community,” Harvey said. “Just like with any professional social network, it is a way for these people who have a shared thing in common already to help their fellow NU alums.”

The number of listings on the directory continues to grow, Dunlap said. Just last month, 30 alumni submitted businesses to the directory.

He added that feedback for the directory has been positive, with business owners excited to share their businesses and alumni eager to support them.

“It’s an evergreen tool that we would love to forever provide to our alums,” Vaughn-Patel said. “It’s a community building tool, and we hope to continue to grow that in the future.”

Email: laurenkee2028@u.northwestern.edu

X: @laurenhykee

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