Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center Supports (Very) Young Entrepreneurs
Maui’s Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center recently invited ten kid-run businesses to set up shop at center court rent free as part of its second-annual Kids, Inc. Business Showcase.
The center reached out on Facebook to bring in interested youngsters with entrepreneurial ambitions. The ten business concepts were chosen by popular vote. Each business had minimal parental involvement, with the ages of the young proprietors ranging from eight to 13.
The winning concepts included a cake pops, custom puppets, up-cycled apparel for girls, an instant photo booth with props, and hand-made jewelry featuring shells and sea glass culled from the island’s shoreline. Most businesses were collaborations between siblings or best friends, and several donated a portion of their earnings to local non-profit community and church groups.
The Kids, Inc. Showcase took place on a busy weekend at the center, as shoppers visited for Back-to-School Saturday and the center’s monthly kid’s club event. It seems to have helped business for the youngsters: collectively the businesses earned well over $1500 in just four hours. The young business people and their parents noted the true value of the event was the experience of doing business at the island’s largest shopping center.
“This is a unique way to showcase Hawaii’s youth entrepreneurs,” said Todd A. Vines, marketing manager at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center. “These are the future business leaders of our community. We’re proud to support their ambitions and offer this unique experience.”
