You’ll be able to find everything from lemonade to home-made dog treats to a teen’s first book at Kimmswick’s first-ever Young Entrepreneur’s Day.
At the event, which is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, local youngsters will sell products they’ve made themselves.
The young vendors will set up booths outside Kimmswick merchants’ shops, said one of the organizers, Kelly Heinemeyer, who owns the Kimmswick Keepsake store.
“(The kids) can showcase their talent, and it’ll bring a lot more people to the town because their relatives, their friends – they all want to come and support the young ones,” Heinemeyer said.
Another organizer, Dawn Scott, the owner of the Name It Already shop, said 25 vendors from around Jefferson and St. Louis counties and St. Louis will take part in the event, and all were between 6 and 15 years old when they applied.
Some of the other wares to be offered include homemade food, tie-dyed products, jewelry, balloon animals, slime, bows, bath bombs, bird feeders and other handmade crafts.
“We have quite a little variety, so it’s exciting,” Scott said.
She said vendors had to pay a $25 entry fee to participate in the fair, and those proceeds will go toward paying for prizes and expenses for the event.
The vendors
One of the vendors scheduled to be at the inaugural Young Entrepreneur’s Day is 12-year-old Courtney Duff of Fenton, who will sell homemade dog treats.
She already has been marketing her products close to home, setting up a booth at her neighborhood pool and using the Nextdoor app, but she is working to expand her customer base and has launched a Facebook account.
Duff said the Kimmswick event is another way to let people know about the pet treats she makes.
“I’m just excited to be there and see what other people came up with and to get my word out there and just for people to know who I am instead of just my neighborhood knowing me,” she said.
Duff said she began her business, CD’s Healthy Gourmet Dog Treats, last summer. She said her family has two golden doodles, and they enjoy all the treats she makes, which range from ice cream to cookies to gummies. However, she said they seem to like the Canine Cookies the most.
Duff said people may order through her the CD’s Treats Facebook page. She charges a $1 fee for delivery.
Another vendor expected to be at the fair is area teen and author Emma Rushing, who was 15 when she turned in the application to participate but has since had her 16th birthday.
For Rushing, Young Entrepreneur’s Day is another opportunity to spread the word about the fantasy book she has written, titled “Sea of Atlantis.”
Rushing, who wants to pursue a writing career, said she has been working hard to promote her book.
“I’m taking any chance I get to sell my book, to work on it, to do workshops, to do book signings, to talk to people about it,” Rushing said. “I’m just trying to get my book out there; that way maybe I’ll be able to continue writing.”
Rushing said she began writing the book when she was 11 and used Page Publishing Inc. to help her publish the book, which was released on March 17 and can be purchased through Amazon, Target, Walmart and Barnes & Noble.
Rushing says “Sea of Atlantis” is as a book for middle school and high school students.
She said she has already received positive feedback about her book and writing style.
“There are Amazon reviews, and one person – I’ve no idea who they are – said it was like their favorite book, and I burst into tears when I read that,” Rushing said.
Lessons to be learned
Scott said each booth will feature a photo of the young entrepreneur and a small biography about the vendor and his or her business. She said some vendors will have family members working together at a booth.
Scott said Duff’s biography stood out to her because she is donating a portion of her sales to the Humane Society.
Duff said she donated more than half of the $800 she made during the Christmas season to a friend’s mother with cancer.
“I love giving. That’s one of my favorite things to do,” Duff said. “So, that’s one of the reasons why I started this business.”
Scott said Young Entrepreneur’s Day will help vendors learn about the reality of running a business.
She said vendors will have to bring supplies to set up their booth and collect sales tax when they make sales.
Heinemeyer said she, too, hopes Young Entrepreneur’s Day gives children the opportunity to learn about operating a business. She said she also hopes the event boosts the vendors’ confidence in themselves and their talents.
“I’m looking forward to the excitement it will bring to the town and helping out the young entrepreneurs – kind of give them a boost of confidence and hopefully they pursue it,” Heinemeyer said.
Both Duff and Rushing said they were thrilled to learn their applications for Young Entrepreneur’s Day had been accepted.
“I was very excited,” Duff said. “I started to plan what my booth would look like, and I started baking right away.”
In addition to learning about business, Heinemeyer said the young vendors also will have the chance to win prizes. Contests include most original product, best booth presentation and best demonstrator.
“I can’t wait to see their creativity with how they set up their booths and their little marketing skills and their presentations,” Scott said.
Heinemeyer said the idea to hold the Young Entrepreneur’s Day came from her 4-year-old grandson, Finnegan. She said a store in Illinois provided shelf space to about 10 kids, including her grandson, to promote their creations..
Heinemeyer said she thought Kimmswick could offer something similar, but on a larger scale. So, she proposed the idea during a Kimmswick Merchant Association meeting and teamed up with Scott to organize the event.
Heinemeyer said she hopes Young Entrepreneur’s Day does well enough to become an annual event.
“We’re excited to do it and hopefully it goes every year,” she said. “This is the first annual. We call it annual hoping it takes off and can put some excitement out there for people. (We hope it) gives encouragement to the younger generation.”