Local youth test entrepreneurial skills in children’s marketplace

By Wes Smiderle November 5, 2022

Seven-year-old Shelby Ethier will be showcase her drawing and design skills at her booth, “Shelby’s Awesome Tattoos” booth at the first Ottawa Children’s Market in Manor Park November 12. Photo: Doug Banks

When Natalie Ethier first heard about the Ottawa Children’s Market, she immediately remembered her 7-year-old daughter, Shelby, coming home from school one day with the idea of setting up a face-painting booth. “She does things like this for fun,” says Natalie. “She’s artistic and creative . . . Even during [the pandemic], she was using glue and scissors, crafting it out.” A children’s marketplace seemed like the perfect place for Shelby to exercise her talents and to increase her comfort level while interacting with customers.

The Acton Children’s Business Fair, sponsored by the non-profit Acton Academy, debuted in 2007 in Austin, Texas, and the concept has spread. A similar market, the Ottawa Children’s Business Fair, modelled on and supported by Acton, has been held yearly at Lansdowne Park since 2016.

The Ottawa Children’s Market will be held at St. Columba Anglican Church on Saturday November 12. The event is co-sponsored by ARC Studio School. “It’s a lot of work but the kids get really excited about it,” says Dr. Megan Lelli, co-founder and head of ARC Studio School at 24 Sandridge Rd., an independent “micro-school” which is part of the Acton Academy.

Shelby will use her non-toxic, “safe skin” crayons and paints to draw images and designs on customer’s arms. “Shelby’s Awesome Tattoos” will be one of the 20 businesses showcased at the Children’s Market, where Manor Park children and youth will have a chance to hone their entrepreneurial skills. Megan stresses that children are expected to manage every aspect of their business, including the financial viability of their ideas.

The Children’s Market is open to all children ages 6 to 14. Children can participate in the market individually or in teams of two or three. The only requirement is that they have an idea and the determination to see it through to market. This means:

developing an idea, or brand
researching market demand
finding funding
building their product
interacting with customers, and
selling their product.

Some of the ideas that have been submitted to the market include holiday and Christmas decorations, a 3D printing and art shop, home made ice cream, wood burning decorative pieces, and bath bombs.

The online application form that children can draw on the bank of mom and dad for start-up costs. However, the business is expected to pay back the loan.

‘Capacity, capability and confidence’

Like the Children’s Business Fair at Lansdowne, Megan intends to make the Manor Park children’s market an annual event. Ideally, some of the children participating in this year’s marketplace will continue to do so in later years. “My hope would be they grow in their understanding of business and in their breadth of knowledge. They’re learning at every stage.” This includes being creative, discovering the possibilities of what they can create, conducting market research, crafting a product, and interacting with customers to describe, and possibly sell, what they’ve made.

Megan adds ARC Studio School decided to hold a local marketplace because it’s essentially an extension of the same learning strategies used at ARC. “Our school is about kids building different personal qualities, such as capacity, capability and confidence. They will surprise the adults.”

Everyone is welcome to visit the Ottawa Children’s Market to peruse and purchase the products. The marketplace takes place Saturday November 12 from on 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at The Church of Saint Columba, 25 Sandridge Rd.