Young entrepreneurs are getting the opportunity to sell homemade products this weekend.
Candice Bakx-Friesen has been running classes to teach kids about money. During those sessions, the idea came up to organize a market where kids could put what they’ve learned into action.
“I thought, how about we give them a practical way to try this if they're interested in making this. And often with markets you need to sign up for the whole summer, and that's a big commitment for parents, and so this is an opportunity for kids to just try it out.”
The market will be held at Kleefeld Park, with 30 vendor spots made available for young participants.
“There was a lot of interest and kids are making a ton of different things. So, over the last three months, we've had classes and the kids have been able to learn different things as well about how to market their products.”
Visitors can expect a wide variety of items for sale, all made by kids.
“Some kids have done baking, there's pottery, there's jewelry, there's slime, all kinds of different stuff. The other thing too is that if your kid is interested in this kind of stuff, but they didn't sign up, it's really good to have them come out to be encouraged by all these other kids who have done what they want to do. And so, if you have a kid entrepreneur at home, then bring them out and they can see practically what other kids have done and just to be inspired to do it.”
Bakx-Friesen says she started the classes to help fill the gap in financial education for young people.
“I host classes for kids twice a year and we go over just basic financial concepts and then talk a little bit about kid businesses, how to apply for jobs, all kinds of different topics like that.”
The classes featured guest speaker Tannis Harder, who sells at markets across Manitoba and shared her own experience with the kids.
“She said, ‘Guys, I started out here exactly here in Kleefeld, and now I'm doing markets all over the place. So it is possible.’ And so just to hear from people who have actually done it is always really inspiring.”
Through the classes, kids also learned the basics of running a small business, from pricing to profit margins.
“Looking at their costs involved, whether they paid for it or they had generous parents who paid for the costs for the products that were needed to create things. But yeah, looking at the cost and making sure that they were making a profit, talking about if you offer a deal, if they buy a couple of different products and different things like that.”
She typically promotes upcoming classes through local Facebook groups and encourages parents to keep an eye out for future sessions.
The market will run on Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Kleefeld Park. Attendees are asked to bring cash, as most young vendors won’t be able to accept card payments.
With files from Corny Rempel