Tiger Tales

Mackenzie Kingerski is a senior psychology major and the current president of the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us. The initiative aims to bring awareness and support to survivors of interpersonal violence. Kingerski has served on the executive board of the Clemson chapter for three years. Her roles have included the Domestic Violence Awareness Month chair, secretary and president.

In 2019, It’s On Us organized The Women's March Against Violence in support of survivors of interpersonal violence. Kingerski saw the march on campus and across social media and was immediately interested in getting involved with the organization.

As president, Kingerski primarily communicates with the national organization, oversees other leadership positions and facilitates collaborations with other organizations at Clemson and in the community. She is also involved with Kappa Delta and Order of Omega, keeping her extracurricular involvement minimal so she can dedicate her time and energy primarily to It’s On Us.

When asked about what the organization means to her, Kingerski said, “It’s about building a community for survivors of interpersonal violence and those who are allied to preventing and bringing awareness to these issues at Clemson.”

Kingerski truly loves the community created through It’s On Us and their efforts to raise awareness about interpersonal violence prevention and response at Clemson. She is working to create change through the Clemson chapter of It’s On Us, which she hopes to continue after she graduates in December. Kingerski plans to attend graduate school and incorporate advocacy for survivors into her work. She also hopes to continue to be a resource for the Clemson chapter and help in any way that she can.

“We have a lot of people who follow our Instagram and engage with our posts, but we also want people to come to our events and get involved… [we hope to] build that sense of community with the events that we’ve been doing,” said Kingerski.

Kingerski wants the Clemson community to know that It’s On Us is a safe space for everyone. She encourages anyone seeking support to reach out personally or message the It’s On Us Instagram.

After graduating from Clemson University in 1982, Jeff Bennett spent 35 years working in video production, starting in Nashville, TN. His passion and creativity shone through the music videos of iconic country artists, such as Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. In 2000, Bennett returned to Clemson and took a job at the University Communications Center. While there, Bennett began making cakes for birthdays and celebrations of coworkers. When one staff member requested pound cake, he brought out his grandma’s famous recipe and hasn’t looked back since.

Bennett began experimenting with flavors after his coworkers went crazy over the cake, starting with pumpkin and banana pudding. He continued to bake for his friends and family out of his own kitchen. Around 2012, his sister recommended his baking skills to a recruiting agency in Greenville that needed Christmas gifts for clients. After tasting the pound cake, the agency placed an order for 75 cakes that Bennett would need to make over the course of three weeks. Bennett’s love for baking grew with his business.

On his way to the Orange Bowl in 2016, Bennett watched the film “Chef” which tells the story of a man who is moving back to Florida after being fired from his job and invests in a food truck. This inspired Bennett to purchase a mobile bakery, which he then took to events like Clemson’s First Friday Parade and Fall for Greenville. During the 2018 Fall for Greenville event, Bennett ran out of cakes on the first night. The next day, his truck had a 45 minute long line. He exited the truck to ask why people were waiting and they said, “Because they are so good!”

Since starting the business in his own kitchen, Bennett found a space and opened The Pound Cake Man Bakery in May 2020. Thankfully, the business has not been adversely impacted by the pandemic because it is a grab and go style restaurant, as well as delivering to on and off-campus residents. When asked why he thinks the business is so successful, Bennett says that it is a “niche business” that brings comfort to the Clemson community.

The Bennett family’s impact on Clemson spans over generations, with his father, George Bennett, serving as the head of IPTAY and starting the two-dollar bill tradition. Now with over 80 flavors of pound cake, Bennett plans to grow his business and open a new location in Greenville during 2022.

When Hud, Kevin, Eli, Gray and Bryan opened the retail store Stripes, they had no idea of their impact on the community.

“Opening day was like a movie. We knew the opening day would be big, but we weren’t expecting it to be as big as it was. At one point, someone told us there were over 100 people, and the line was wrapped around to Study Hall,” Hud said.

The vintage store, located on N. Clemson Ave, had a similar response on Black Friday, showcasing the need for a store like Stripes within the community.

“We knew we were doing the right thing when we saw how many people were waiting to get into our store for both events. In Clemson, there are not that many clothing stores, especially for men,” Kevin said. “So we wanted to create another space for people that allows them to express themselves.”

Stripes mainly sells vintage clothes and sneakers from the ’70s through the ’90s but will occasionally sell more hype retail, like Nike Dunk or Nike Air Force sneakers. Unique pieces for the store are not always easy to find - the owners often find themselves traveling as far as Georgia or Tennessee to bring their customers high quality clothing. Additionally, customers can bring their own vintage pieces to the storefront to sell to the five owners.

When we talked to Hud, Kevin and Eli, they prided themselves in embracing their own individual style, a reason why they work so hard to find unique clothing for their community.

“A lot of people dress the same in Clemson, and we want to promote being your own person,” said Eli. “Our main goal is to create a culture in our community where everyone is embraced for their uniqueness.”

Stripes does this by occasionally offering free merchandise on a first-come, first-serve basis to their Instagram followers by hanging up a T-shirt or putting a pair of sneakers outside.

“Clemson has really embraced our community, and we want to give back,” Kevin said. “We wouldn’t be here without the community, and we want people to know we really appreciate their support.”

As for what’s next for Stripes, the opportunity is endless. While there isn’t a set five-year plan, all of the men agreed that they wanted to continue to grow into the biggest and best vintage store they can and continue to grow the community around Clemson.

To follow along with Stripes, follow them on Instagram () and head into the store to check out their offerings.