Kids take charge at annual Children’s Entrepreneur Market

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Over the weekend, Western Kentucky University’s Innovation Campus teamed up with the Community Farmer’s Market and Warren County Public Library to bring a one-of-a-kind event to Bowling Green on Saturday.

It’s called the Children’s Entrepreneur Market, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. A market run entirely by kids.

“So this is an opportunity for children to learn how to interact with people,” said Jen Kilgore, marketing manager for the Children’s Entrepreneur Market. “How to learn the concept of business from either making their product, or buying and reselling their products.”

From homemade crafts to baked goods and even more, it was a chance for young creators, ages 5 to 17, to show off their talent and sell what they’ve made.

“I’m selling wood products,” said Mae Kathryn Deaton, one of the entrepreneurs. “Me and my dad, we buy wood, and then we engrave stuff. Whenever I get older, I think it’s good to start younger, just to have an experience doing it.”

Saturday had over 50 vendors, and while the event was fun and festive, it also had a deeper meaning: teaching kids valuable lessons in financial literacy, customer service and business management.

“It’s never too early to start having relationships with people, and learning how to deal with people,” said John Deaton, Mae Kathryn’s father. “We’re just really proud of her and how she’s grown as a person.”

So whether it’s lemonade or homemade goods, it’s safe to say these kids aren’t just playing business, they mean business.