Kid entrepreneurs continue to shine at downtown business

“Dog tags… I’ve been making necklaces, I’ve been making key chains, and bookmarks,” she said.

In fact she said said since featuring her items in the store , business has been strong. She’s now hoping to one day buy a horse. In order to make that happen, the seven-year-old spends a few hours each week constructing items that go up for sale. Each takes about 12 hours to make.

“I make them out of resin and sprinkles. I make them out of stickers sometimes, I put stickers in them, and then I let them dry and then I pop them out of the mold,” she said.

Niko Goring has also been busy. The eight-year-old artist and entrepreneur is most known for his signature dino character.

“I create beanies, hoodies, hats, pens, stickers,” Goring said.

He has also entered the digital sphere by selling his dino designs online through non-fungible tokens. On Family Day, Feb. 21, he hopes to release 100.

Eleven-year-old Hayden only recently started making soaps a few months ago and she has already made some decent sales.

“I decided to sell them because with COVID-19 we have to wash our hands a lot, and I wanted cute fun soaps,” she said.

The Little Entrepreneur program started a year ago by Top Notch Custom Kreations owner Shannon Deveau. The program started during COVID-19, as a way to give kids, like her granddaughter, something to do, to keep their hands occupied. She started with eight kids and has since grown to 12. The kids make and sell everything from slime, to jewelry to magnets, to knits.

“They each have their little items. I get them to come in, once every couple months just to check their stock and make sure they have updated items,” Deveau said.

Aside from it being a creative outlet that also helps with mental health, she said It also teaches kids basic business skills and responsibility at a young age.

“One, you get to manage money, and figure out what you are going to do with your money. It is good to get a goal where their money is going to go. The other thing is, it’s a chance to be in a store. As an adult it took me a long time to get my stuff in a store, I had to open my own store so seeing these young kids have their opportunity to showcase their items in a store it has just been amazing,” she said.

Deveau is hoping to feature even more young entrepreneurs, and if your youngster needs a little encouragement, eight-year-old Niko who has been selling his designs for two years has some advice:

“Don’t stop trying and try your best,” he said.

by Tiffany Goodwein

Kid entrepreneurs continue to shine at downtown business

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