Normal Public Library is hosting its first “Kid Market” on Saturday, May 17, to bring a different kind of shopping experience to town.
As the name suggests, every craft and item at the market is created and curated by a child in the Bloomington-Normal community.
Kids ages 7 to 14 will be selling handmade items like crafts and artwork or items they designed like bookmarks, plant cutters and purses. The library said each vendor and booth shows off the creativity of each child and their hard work as young entrepreneurs.
The program is also supported by local businesses that worked with kids who donated their time to advise and train them.
“Our kid business owners have been hard at work over the past two months networking with local business mentors, attending a 10-week online business school and creating the products they will bring to the community,” said Rachel Park, business and technology librarian at NPL and co-facilitator of the Kid Market Program.
Park expressed enthusiasm for the event and for the kids.
“We are so excited to see their hard work pay off and invite the entire community to join us,” she said.
The kid business owners are excited for the event as well, including Sawyer Flick, the owner of Sawyer’s Rock Shop. Flick said he decided to start his own business after being inspired by seeing his neighbors go through the journey.
“I started my business by watching my neighbors Willa and Sophia (Aka, The Craft Sisters) selling lemonade and I wanted to get in on the action too,” he said. “So, I got some cool river rocks from my front yard and sold one or two. I made about 50 cents. I was hooked! I found some acrylic paint pens and painted my heart out. It just went uphill from there.”
Even one person on the outside looking in on the program said she thought it was notable. Liz Walsh is a photographer, and she was at one of the networking events between the kids and local businesses.
“I was quite impressed with the enthusiasm and ideas of the young entrepreneurs during our first meeting,” she said. “I'm looking forward to seeing their ideas come to fruition!”
The event takes place at the Community Activity Center in Normal from 10 a.m. to noon.
