CALEDONIA—A new Christmas market is coming this week with one unique twist: all the entrepreneurs at this market are 12 and under, and they are selling their own, individually created items.
The Young Entrepreneurs Market is the culmination of a four-session-long Young Entrepreneurs Club under Forest Kids (FK), a Caledonia-based home enterprise offering youth-themed programming. The club saw participants aged 6-12 meet to learn about financial literacy and business plan development.
“We discussed all aspects of planning and running a business, and then helped the participants start an idea of their choice, to develop and prepare for the market,” said FK owner-operator Stacy Forestieri. “Hearing from parents, there were other kids that either couldn’t attend the class or already had a business project of their own, that would also love to join in the market, so we extended the invitation (to join).”
She said the idea behind the club and market came from her own 9-year-old son, who she said has dreams of running a reptile zoo and sanctuary when older.
“As we broke down his dream into achievable goals, his first step was to make $400 to buy a bearded dragon and all the supplies. He’s been doing various projects over the last year to work towards that goal. One of them was to participate in the kid’s market that was put on by the Libro Credit Union last spring. He had such a great experience from that, and we heard from my friends’ kids that they also would love an opportunity like that but didn’t know where to start,” continued Forestieri on how the club launched.
She said that while many amazing holiday markets exist featuring local talent, younger entrepreneurs might have a hard time accessing those or making an impact with their product.
“We are encouraging kids to come shop and support their peers, and be able to buy things on their own, with their own budget, so they can find a special gift for a parent, teacher, or friend,” said Forestieri.
She added, “There will be lots of items $5 and under that kids can afford. We can even help kids shop ‘in secret’, with their parents not looking on, so that they can keep the item a surprise.”
She noted that the market is a cash only event, with the entrepreneurs handling their own sales and keeping their own profits.
She shared some comments from three of the young entrepreneurs participating this Saturday.
“I am making and selling morse code bracelets,” said 7-year-old Bryson. “Morse code is like a secret language used to communicate where you use dots and dashes to make the letters. I use different colour beads to show dots or dashes to spell out words or names on bracelets.”
Bryson said he started his business so he could “save money to go to Universal Studios.”
Ten-year-old Karnesh will be on hand selling a variety of gift items such as candles, pens, jibitz, and jewellery.
“Math is one of my favourite subjects at school, and I’m particularly interested in understanding how buying and selling work,” said Karnesh, whose parents encouraged her to join the club.
“I’m grateful to Ms. Stacy, my coach. Through this program, I learned how to make and save money, as well as how to manage spending and saving by categorizing funds for daily expenses, future needs, and emergencies,” she continued. “I’ve also started doing some chores to earn money and save for my own requirements.”
Nine-year-old Jayden will be selling nature-themed gift items at the market from his reptile-themed supply business.
“I wanted to start my own business to save money for things I want like a Nintendo Switch, and someday I want to run my own reptile zoo,” he said. “Making money as a businessperson is more fun than doing chores for my parents.”
The Young Entrepreneurs Market will be open this Saturday, November 23 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Riverside Exhibition Centre. Don’t miss your chance to have fun while supporting the efforts of these enterprising, ambitious young entrepreneurs.
