The Mini Market, a pop-up stand created by Don Martens and John Wiebe of Choice Realty, is helping kids across the area run their own small businesses with a little more style and a lot more support.
A better lemonade stand
Martens says the concept came from seeing kids trying to connect with neighbours through homemade stands on their front lawns.
“You see kids with their makeshift lemonade stands and, you know, trying to create some cash flow or just muster up some connection with other people in the community. And I just thought, well, wouldn't it be a great idea if they had something... a little more attractive and make them feel a little more special and maybe even generate more activity.”
He and fellow realtor John Wiebe spent the winter designing and building the booth, and Martens says the company embraced it from the start.
“It gives kids an opportunity to experience entrepreneurship… to exchange goods for some cash and just learn a few things.”
The market houses a storefront for the children to work out of and includes two swinging shutters with white boards to customize their shop with a menu or a message.
One message stood out to Martens as he looked back at the first month of operation: “Seeing kids selling goods, but also with a poster on the door saying they were raising money for someone in our community who needed surgery out of country. I thought, ‘Wow, this is the best of it.’”
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Free to use and easy to book
Families can book the Mini Market for free on the Choice Realty website under Client Resources. Once scheduled, a realtor delivers and sets it up — no pickup required.
“Right from the beginning, our mandate was to provide this to the community at no cost… We just select one of the Realtors here to deliver it and to pick it up and set it up, take it down.”
The booth features barn wood siding and bright orange trim, mirroring the Choice Realty brand. It also includes a table and four chairs.
“The fascia is bright orange... and if you take notice of the design, it looks a little bit like our logo.”
With demand increasing as the shop gets attention, Martens says they’re still sorting out the logistics — but the focus will remain on neighbourhood use, by and for kids.
And as for the future?
“Who knows, maybe one day we'll be adding more units in other communities, but we'll see how this one goes.”
Get started
Booking the Mini Market is simple. Families can fill out the form for themselves by clicking here. Setup and pickup are taken care of, and the experience, Martens says, is one to remember.
- photo provided by Tammy Dyck -