Menifee youth learn business concepts at children's fair
Six-year-old Remi received a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for her "Colors by Remi" business. (Staff photos) By Doug Spoon, E...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
The next generation of young business professionals showed off their talents and learned a little about entrepreneurship Saturday when children ages 5-16 participated in the Menifee Children’s Business Fair.
Nearly 40 booths represented the work of youngsters who displayed a variety of handmade crafts and food items. There were displays of bead bracelets; lanyards; hair ties and “scrunchies”; 3D printer “dragons”; handmade jewelry featuring pearls taken from cracked oysters; crochet animals; hand-drawn portraits by a 6-year-old; and more.
The event was held at the Center for Spiritual Living on Murrieta Road, where longtime Menifee resident Cynthia Nemelka rents space for weekly senior dances, arts showcases, and now a children’s fair. Nemelka was encouraged by the turnout, which featured a number of guests purchasing items and children visiting each other’s booths and exchanging information.
“A month ago I came across this idea because Murrieta was scheduled to have one,” Nemelka said. “So I looked into it, and it’s actually part of Acton Children’s Business Fair -- a company back east that sponsors events and potentially gets donations.
“I just said, ‘I’m going to do this’. I was nervous at first, but [the children] just kept coming. We’re all super excited. Hopefully, the kids are learning how to budget, how to interact with the public, and show that they have something worthwhile to share at this young age.”
A tour of the booths inside and outside the center revealed a group of energetic, eager children who were excited to talk with customers and take in some hard-earned cash.
Adeline, age 8, was selling keychains, lanyards and cup charms she had made with beads.
“It just takes like five minutes; it depends on what you’re doing,” she said.
Adeline said she has a special place in Menifee to sell her items on a regular basis.
“I sell by the Menifee BMX riding place, where you ride your bike on all the trails. I sell them on the sidewalk,” she said.
At a nearby booth, 12-year-old Kofa was selling hair ties, bracelets and scrunchies.
“In 2020, me and my sister started making bracelets and selling them in front of our house,” she said. “We stopped for a while and we randomly started again. This is our second time actually selling at someplace like this.”
Isaiah, 9, and his little sister Iliana were well prepared to sell their bead crafts. Iliana was quick to point out the toy cash register she was using, and carefully spelled out her first name, emphasizing the “upper case” and “lower case” letters. They also had a sign with a QR code customers could use to pay by Venmo.
“We had a little help from mom,” Isaiah said.
Madison, 15, was one of the most seasoned young entrepreneurs. Seated at a table displaying a variety of scrunchies, bows and wristlet fobs, she displayed a sign with her website address, Facebook and YouTube pages. She said she sells her items online on Shopify and has made about $100 there.
“Watching YouTube videos inspired me,” she said.
A special treat for the children was a visit from members of the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce, who performed a ribbon cutting for the official opening of each child’s “business.” The kids were given a certificate, met Chamber President/CEO Katie Luna, and got to use the traditional giant scissors to cut the red ribbon.
“I saw the flier for the fair and when Cynthia contacted me, I decided we should get involved,” Luna said. “She actually had the idea of doing the ribbon cuttings.
“We want to encourage the entrepreneurial mindset, and this is a great way to do it. We want [the children] to know we are here to support them as they go on their entrepreneurial journeys. We wanted to come out here today and at least let them know who the Chamber of Commerce is.”
Nidhisri, age 9, sold homemade lemonade at her booth.
“This is my first time selling,” she said. “I wanted to take it easy and said, ‘Let’s do lemonade first, and then maybe next time I could do something else, like bracelets or crochet, something like that.’”
Jane, age 9, sold cake pops.
“My mom helped me,” she said. “First you make a cake, and after it’s all baked, you squish these balls so they stick together. You put them in the freezer for a little bit. Then you melt chocolate and dip them in chocolate. We make them for events and our family.”
London sold dragons and other creations she made with a 3D printer.
“My favorite thing to make would probably be these dragons,” she said. “I think they’re really cute. It usually takes about half an hour to make one. So far, I’ve made 40 dollars on Venmo and in cash I have about 12 dollars.”
Catherine, age 15, had one of the more admirable projects. Rather than collecting money for handmade crafts, she was there to sign up guests to donate their blood stem cells to help others.
“I have a chapter at Chaparral High School and my officers and I help sign up people to donate their blood cells, which contributes to health care,” she said. “I want to go into the health care industry.
“They sign up and we have swab kits here and we swab the inside of their cheek and
send it to NMDP and they sign you up.”
NMDP is the National Marrow Donor Program. Its website states that “We are a global non-profit leader in cell therapy, helping save the lives of patients with blood cancers and disorders.”
One of the visitors to the fair was Bob Karwin, Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Menifee. He spoke about the value of an exchange of ideas among the youngsters.
“When you get out into the world and you meet other people, you get to see what other people are doing,” Karwin said. “So kids have their own skills and interests, and when they meet kids with other skills and interests, that influences them, and they influence each other. That’s why it’s so fantastic when they go around and see each other’s tables and they say, ‘Oh, you’re doing that. I’m going to try that.’”
Iliana and Isaiah sold bead designs and homemade baked goods.
Madison sells her scrunchies, bows and wristlet fobs online as well as at fairs.
Jane makes cake pops for sale and explains how they are made.
Adeline makes and sells keychains and other bead products.
