A Great Day of Youth Entrepreneurship at the 2026 Kids’ Marketplace
- beacheskid2kid
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
On Saturday, May 30, the Beaches Recreation Centre was buzzing with energy as more than 200 young entrepreneurs gathered for our annual Kids’ Marketplace.
The event was a tremendous success, bringing together young business owners, families, volunteers, and community members for a day of learning, creativity, and giving back. This year, we raised over $27,000 through our youth entrepreneurs and community supporters. This milestone will help us continue supporting youth-focused charities and initiatives throughout the year.
From the moment the doors opened, the room was filled with excited shoppers, supportive families, and youth vendors proudly showcasing their businesses. Young entrepreneurs sold everything from handmade jewelry, soaps, and knitted toques to cotton candy, surprise hoodie bags, and carnival-style games.
Many vendors created products from scratch and designed their own signage, logos, and price lists, gaining firsthand experience in building and promoting a business.
The marketplace provided participants valuable experience in entrepreneurship, customer service, money management, and marketing. We hope every youth participant had a wonderful experience while building confidence and new skills.
One of the things we are most proud of is that every youth entrepreneur donated 50% of their profits back to Kid2Kid. Through these donations, we are able to support youth-related charities throughout the year. So far in 2026, we have donated to organizations including Red Door Family Shelter, Stella’s Place, Wellspring, Nellie’s, and Princess Margaret Hospital, with more charitable initiatives planned in the months ahead. It is inspiring to see young people building businesses while helping other children in need.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible volunteers. Events of this size would not be possible without the many people who generously give their time and energy behind the scenes. From setup and registration to supporting vendors and helping guests throughout the day, your contributions make this event a success year after year.
We would also like to thank the Beaches Recreation Centre and its staff for providing the space and support that help make the Kids’ Marketplace possible. We are fortunate to have such strong community partners who believe in empowering young people.
Of course we cannot forget to extend our gratitude to our incredible photographer Jasmine Wang, videographer/director Anthony Greene and event coverage & photos by Edward Chiazor for Efosa Media.
As we reflect on another successful marketplace, we are already looking forward to next year. Vendor spots fill extremely quickly, so we encourage families who are interested in participating to sign up for our newsletter. Subscribers are the first to hear about registration dates, event announcements, volunteer opportunities, and other Kid2Kid initiatives throughout the year.
We can’t wait to see you at next year’s Kids’ Marketplace!
Comments