By Josh Staloch
Staff Writer
GREEN BAY – Urban Hub in the heart of the Railyard District on Broadway was brimming with youthful commerce activity Oct. 2.
Tomorrow’s professionals were on hand for the fourth annual Children’s Business Fair of Greater Green Bay.
The event promotes and supports youth entrepreneurship, and gives youngsters an opportunity to sell products they created themselves.
The kids develop and produce the products on their own, with minimal help from adults, and bring them to market at The Urban Hub.
Some of the items up for sale at the fair included paintings and drawings, bracelets, bookmarks and lightsabers made of PVC pipe.
At one booth, two sisters sold window stickers to keep birds from crashing into homes.
There was another young lady taking orders for 3D-printed items, as customers watched the machine construct their orders.
There was also slime, lots and lots of slime.
“This is really about empowering kids,” Denise McFarlin, founder of Solid Foundation Learning and one of the event’s organizers said. “The kids manage their ideas from start to finish. I want kids speaking up for themselves, I want kids to be able to sell their own products and to be able to explain their designs and their ideas with confidence. I’m seeing a lot of kids taking ownership of their own ideas.”
The young entrepreneurs take their projects seriously. Tahreesa Hill, of Green Bay, proprietor of Tahreesa’s Creations, was up late the previous night putting the final touches on the art she brought to the fair.
She said she completed seven paintings the day before, many of which had sold within the first hour of the event.
“My mom is actually in the hospital right now, she had an asthma attack,” Hill said. “We think she might be back home today so I wanted to cook dinner for her. I want to either make spaghetti for her, or, if I make enough money today, take her out to eat.”
By the time lunch arrived, two tables of pizza, much of the merchandise the kids came to the event with had sold.
Envelopes stuffed with cash were being counted up and put in backpacks, and smiles were plentiful.
“This is our first time hosting and for us, it only made sense considering this space is for entrepreneurs,” Urban Hub community manager Lamar Banks said. “It’s also a space that we want the community to feel like it can use to build relationships and foster entrepreneurship. It’s exciting to see them having so much fun selling the products they’ve created.”