The Kimmswick Visitors Center will shine a spotlight on teen and kid business owners at its fifth annual Young Entrepreneur Arts and Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday held on the streets of the historic river town.
Admission is free for the event, which will feature more than 50 young entrepreneurs selling an array of talent, from baked goods and artwork to jewelry and other hand-crafted items. The event will showcase the hard work of those 17 and younger.
Dawn Scott of Hillsboro, the event organizer and secretary of the Kimmswick Merchants Association, said the family-friendly event typically attracts a great crowd.
“This event aims to teach teens and kids about business ownership. For a lot of them, this is their first introduction to running an effective business,” Scott said. “They will learn about business operations, including in-person sales, customer interaction and even experience some healthy competition.”
Cash prizes will be given to the young business owners based on different criteria.
“We will have four judges who go booth to booth and grade them basically on how they interact with customers, asking questions about how they got started with their business and what inspired them to make their products,” Scott said.
The prizes are also given based on two age categories, 12 and younger and 13 and older. About $500 in total will be given out, with first place receiving $100, second place receiving $75, third place receiving $50 and honorable mention receiving $25.
Scott said many teens and kids participate because their hobbies have turned into something bigger than can earn them money, pointing to one of last year’s young entrepreneurs, Magnus Aschinger, who won third place in the crafts fair division with his business, Car Fund Co., founded in 2022.
“Armed with a couple of years of leather-working experience under his belt, he decided to take his passion for the hobby to the next level with the focus of earning the funding needed to complete the restoration of his first car, a Jeep,” Scott said.
This event will take the meaning of shopping small to another level, Scott said, adding that’s it’s wonderful to see the community support at the event.
“We host this event to show support to the kids within the community. Their work is important, and we want them to know that,” she said. “This event also keeps people buying locally and is great exposure for Kimmswick. Everyone is encouraged to join.”