Sprouts Youth Market kicks off in Berea

Sierra Marling, Richmond Register, Ky.
·4 min read

Jun. 15—Sierra Marling

Throughout the summer, a partnership between the National Recreation and Park Association, Berea Kids Eat, and the Berea Farmer's Market will be giving the community's youngest entrepreneurs a chance to sell their wares at a unique market.

The Sprouts Youth Market is a chance for children aged eight to 18-years-old to sell their handmade or homegrown products. The program aims to promote youth leadership.

According to their call for applications on Feb. 3, Berea Kids Eat chose 10 families to participate. Those chosen were given the opportunity to attend workshops and receive supplies related to the development of their product.

"Through a grant through the Cigna Foundation, we've been able to use that for 10 families that we are supporting through the Sprouts Youth Market. We've been able to do some classes on growing and marketing, things like that, to help these young entrepreneurs," said Taye Olwen, who serves as the nutrition education coordinator for Berea Kids Eat.

On Tuesday, June 13, five young entrepreneurs were lined up in the Chestnut Street Pavilion parking lot.

Some local artists, like Maximus Kingery and Samuel Dent, had tables full of artistic displays. Kingery, who sold spray paint art, and Dent, who sold homemade game packs, were both familiar with selling their wares.

Dent has recently appeared at the local Awesome Possum Festival and has been selling his Appalachian Pokémon cards online.

The popular franchise regularly releases new Pokémon maps and monster designs based on "regions" where they are from. Dent, an avid Pokémon fan, said he was inspired by others who have made their own creative regions and Pokémon monsters.

"I thought since I live in Appalachia, I should make an Appalachian region," he said.

Dent spent time making sketches of his ideas, then he decided that he was going to move his process online and launched a YouTube channel. He said his sketches evolved into using more advanced tools, like Photoshop, to make card packs that he could sell.

Dent said he plans to expand on his collection, which will be available at his booth at the Sprout Youth Market.

Kingery's YouTube channel featured homemade sounds. However, the focus of his Twitter, and his Sprouts Youth Market Booth, is his space-themed spray paint art. His table had various planetary designs in a range of colors.

He said he began practicing spray paint art and monetizing it after he saw the process on YouTube.

"A lot of the YouTube videos that were popping up in my recommended was all about this [spray paint art] and I thought that'd be fun, so I started out and just did a couple; it was fun. I kept doing it," he recalled.

Kingery said he has been to a few markets himself and has sold "quite a bit" since he began selling his work late last year.

Also in the homemade category was Eleanor Solon, who sat with her parents' Wildwood Farm booth selling her homemade cat toys for $2. Solon said that, while pondering what she could sell, she was fidgeting with some chicken feathers on the ground. Then, inspiration struck.

"So I got some sticks, some twine, and put them together. The funny part is, when I was making them, our cat Olive wouldn't leave them alone, so she got in trouble for that because I didn't want her to tear them up," she explained, giggling.

Alongside her at her family's booth was her brother, August Solon, who sat with a tray of paints ready for eager faces.

"It's my first time," he said of providing face painting at the market. "I'm not the best, but I mean, I've done a little practice. It's really fun when you start out doing it!"

The siblings have also created colorful prints and cards for sale.

At the end of the row was 12-year-old Eli Windland, whose tea and herbal salt blends were made from his personal garden.

Windland said he harvests, mixes, drys, and bakes the items for his blends before selling them at the market.

He said he enjoyed gardening, and in true entrepreneurial spirit, decided to sell the fruits of his labor for profit.

"I've always been a fan of teas and salt. Really, I just like like cooking. I was like, 'Well, I know how to make both of these and I have the stuff to do it. Why not try to make a profit off of it while also making people good products that taste good?'"

According to Olwen, the Sprouts Market will be at the Berea Farmer's Market every other Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on some Saturdays during the regular farmer's market.