A CALS + ABE Partnership
CALS Rock It! Lab
The Rock It! Lab gives under-resourced founders the guidance, community, and resources to turn an idea into a business that lasts.
What is the Rock It! Lab?
Housed inside the historic Cox Building located at 120 River Market Ave in CALS Library Square, the Rock It! Lab (RIL) is a place where under-resourced entrepreneurs are given the tools, guidance, and training necessary to start, grow, and scale their businesses. A partnership of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship (ABE), the Rock It! Lab provides resources and services, including technical assistance, mentorship, marketing and promotion, networking opportunities, business education, one-on-one instruction, and more to assist entrepreneurs in creating successful businesses.
Every saturday, 10am – 3pm
Shop with Local Vendors
Saturday is for shopping and hanging out! Support some of the city’s newest small business owners and be the first of your friends to have the latest trends.
Located on the first floor of the Cox Building, the River Shop provides a co-retail space for local entrepreneurs, that are a part of the Rock It! Lab program, to showcase and sell a variety of creative works, goods and merchandise. In addition to being a retail shop for our entrepreneurs, the River Shop is also a training space for these business owners – teaching them the skills needed to distribute and market their products on a broader scale, as well as the keys to excelling at customer service.
