I was pretty excited to learn about an upcoming Kids Market in Westminster! I find it encouraging to see young people taking initiative, acting responsibly and showing up with a good work ethic. Kids Market is a national program with a straightforward premise: kids launching real businesses, developing a business plan (or complete the organization’s online vendor course), and then selling their own handmade products — crafts, artwork, baked goods, whatever they’ve built — at a live event. No kits and no parents making the products. The stuff on the table has to be theirs.
This event is called Kids Market, and on Sunday, June 7, a group of young entrepreneurs will be doing exactly that at Wachusett Brewing Company in Westminster, when Kids Market sets up shop at the Brew Yard.
The program has been running events across the country for several years, and the pattern tends to repeat itself: shy kid behind a table at the first market, confident kid chatting up strangers by the end of it. I love that.
I remember selling lemonade at the roadside as a young kid. One time we tried to sell snow cones, made with my Snoopy Snow Cone Maker, with shards of plastic in the snow cones from the hand-crank. Another time I remember my friend Michelle and I tried to set up a frog eggs stand–literally trying to sell blobs of frog eggs to our brothers. No profit made on that.
What I like about this particular setup — aside from the obvious, which is young people not glued to their screens — is that hosting a kids market at a brewery works in a way that makes sense for everyone. Parents and other adults have a reason to be there; the Brew Yard is a comfortable, outdoor space with food and beer on draught; and the kids get a real audience, not just whoever wanders past a folding table at a school fair.
The Westminster event runs from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on June 7 at Wachusett Brewing Company, 175 State Road East in Westminster. You can find more about Kids Market — including how the program works and how to register for future events — at kidsmarkets.com.
Curious what kinds of businesses set up at events like this? I thought I’d check in with a young local entrepreneur, who is setting up at the Wachusett Brewing event. Here’s what she had to say:
I’m Zara Verelst, I’m 12 years old and I live in Westminster. One day I was in my room reading, and I didn’t have a bookmark, so I made one. My mom made a TikTok video and it went viral, with lots of people saying they wanted to buy it. That’s how My Book Buddiez was born.
My Book Buddiez are articulated, whimsical, interchangeable, animal fidget bookmarks that sit perfectly on top of your book to save your page. I have partnered with the Shine Initiative, a local organization, whose mission is to destigmatize mental health in youth. 5% of every order is donated to this important cause. Please check out my website www.mybookbuddiez.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for updates, sales, and new buddy drops! Thank you for supporting my small business and my goal to make reading fun for everyone!
