Youth entrepreneurs take stage at Cape Riverfront Market

Several young business owners met with the public and sold their wares at Cape Riverfront Market’s Youth Entrepreneurship Festival on Saturday, July 20.

They had extra incentive to do their best. Jackson-based stuffed-animal care package service SendAFriend provided three young vendors with $500 grants to help them improve their business endeavors. The purpose of the event was to empower the entrepreneurs, SendAFriend executive assistant Ashley Dodds said.

The collaboration began after Andrea Craft, a former Old Town Cape worker, read about a small business grant SendAFriend offered for Jackson Senior High students. SendAFriend founder Tyler Macke, Dodd’s brother, started the business in 2018 after he graduated from the school.

Craft had gone to school with Macke and thought a grant would be a good way to support more young entrepreneurs. For the last two years, SendAFriend has provided grants to help young business workers at Old Town Cape’s Cape Riverfront Market.

“The entire setup is a little different this year,” Dodds said. “The last two years, we had applicants and we provided the $250 before the market. That was so they could prepare for their space, if they needed to get tables or tablecloths or even materials for whatever product they were going to offer. This year we just decided to take a different route.”

To make more of an impact, the grant was doubled and businesses would be judged at the market to see which ones would receive them. Dodds said 15 young business owners applied to join this year’s competition, though there was only enough space for 10 of them to participate.

The chosen businesses were Bella's Crafts, Touchdown Treats, Pop Paradise Drinks, Keona's Kreations, Kaylie's Creations, Candle Cruz, Present Presents by Ab, Crochet From Jacob, Side Stitches and Ainsley's Arm Candy.

Judges analyzed the young business owners on how they interacted with customers, what their future business goals were, the quality of their goods and the presentation of their business overall. Touchdown Treats, Pop Paradise Drinks and Candle Cruz won the three $500 grants.

Winners' reactions

Benny Arends, 12, said he was both surprised and excited when he learned his Touchdown Treats had won one of the grants. He said he will use the money to purchase additional equipment for his baked-goods business.

“I’ve always loved cooking with my mom, and last year I did this same (Riverfront Market) event. It was finally a chance for me to showcase my cooking skills, so that was the start of Touchdown Treats,” he said.

In addition to the market, he sells his treats at fairs, Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce events and even catered a wedding.

Mitzi Quintas-Cruz, 17, said she had been running her pottery business Candle Cruz for years as a way to expand her culture to Cape Girardeau and for her to have something of her own to work on.

“It feels great (to win the grant),” she said. “It's a great accomplishment after all my work, because it hasn't been easy … but it’s been worth it at the end.”

Pop Paradise Drinks is the brainchild of the Rodriguez siblings — Aubrey, 21, Leila, 17, and James, 13. Ever since they were young, they had been sidewalk lemonade vendors, but they decided to branch out into soda after visiting family in Utah.

“Out there, they have tons of drink shops that are non-coffee options. Sodas are a big one over there where they mix soda, creamers, syrups, different kinds of things,” Aubrey Rodriguez said.

Her sister said they went online and bought different flavors they thought people would enjoy.

“We bought a bunch that sounded like good combinations and then, once we got it all, for a week we tried it all out and tested different things,” Leila Rodriguez said.

They have operated their business since July 2023 and said they are going to invest in a trailer to attend additional events after this year’s Riverfront Market season.

Business acumen

The vendors all had different reasons for starting their own businesses. Some enjoyed their work as hobbies long before turning them into businesses, while others, such as Kaylie Adams, 18, of Kaylie’s Creations, aim to use their earnings to help them through college.

Selling a variety of beaded pens, charms and keychains, Adams started her business in her senior year of high school and said she aims to make products that make people happy.

“I try to apply things that I learn every day because it helps me stay sharp and it lets the people who taught me know I actually learned things from them,” she said.

Adams said other young entrepreneurs should go for it if they want to start a business of their own.

“Just be prepared to do fun things, pick up unexpected phone calls and have fun on the journey. Because if you don't have fun, what are you doing it all for?” she said.

Dodds said she was thankful Old Town Cape provided the young vendors with a platform in Cape Riverfront Market to showcase their goods and services to the community.

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