Youth to explore world of business at Mars market Saturday
Children will step into the shoes of business professionals this weekend at the Young Entrepreneurs’ Market Day in downtown Mars.
Held through the weekly Mars Farmers’ Market, the event includes about 30 children ages 5 to 17 who preregistered for the program and offers them a chance to explore the world of commerce through hands-on creation. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 225 Crowe Ave.
Founded by Middlesex Township mom Amber Rush, the market will feature between 12 and 14 booths featuring a variety of handmade products, including homemade jam, pillows, brownies, cupcakes and jewelry. Children are required to make any product that they sell themselves.
To Rush, the market is a chance to give kids practical experience and impart new ways of learning.
“I personally think that when kids launch their own business, they also learn some valuable skills,” she said, noting that her children, ages 6, 9 and 11, have teamed up and helped each other on their projects.
“It also empowers them to be creative and self-sufficient. It encourages letting kids do what they think — if they think something should be $5, and then learn that that wasn’t priced right, for instance. It’s for the kids to share their ideas and their creativity, and the biggest thing is, it’s in a safe spot.”
“Those who visit the (farmers’) market will see the kids’ market as well,” she said. “I was doing it that way to get them more foot traffic, which is awesome, because the farmers’ market gets a lot of foot traffic.”
Kids signed up a few months ago through a form Rush posted into community Facebook groups across the region. Participants in the program are from Mars as well as Middlesex Township, Gibsonia and the North Hills.
Children are encouraged to communicate with their customers and talk about their products at the market to build their entrepreneurial skills, Rush said. Those interested in the program are taking their booths in a variety of directions.
“Some of the kids (already) have businesses; like some, I did see, sell on Etsy,” Rush said. “Other kids do sell some of their products, but some of the groups were just excited to do it and are still finalizing what they are actually going to sell.”
For Rush, entrepreneurship is a shared activity for all three of her kids. Her 11-year-old daughter will be selling homemade bandanas, and her other two kids will be putting together their own products while also helping with the bandana project.
“I would say, at least in our family, it’s a family affair,” she said. “We cut and iron, and then she sews.”
