Kennedi McNair stood beneath a canopy, smiling and greeting customers that passed her table of colorful crocheted creations at the Children’s Entrepreneur Market.

The handmade pieces on her table aren’t just crafts — they’re helping fund her future education. Her business is called Hooked on Healing.

“I started crocheting at 14,” said the 15-year-old. “I was kind of self taught. My friend taught me the basics and from there I went on. I want to be a mental health therapist. So, that’s why it’s called Hooked on Healing.”

“The Children’s Entrepreneur Market began in Utah in 2018,” said Katlyn Gates, the local market manager for Columbia, South Carolina.

The market itself is part of a larger national program, Kids Markets, designed to encourage youth entrepreneurship. It also provides scholarships that help young vendors grow by providing resources to improve their products, materials and business skills.

“We also offer a free educational program to children who may not normally have access to easily start their own business,” Gates said. “This program is called Elevate, and I go into schools, aftercare programs, co-ops, etc. and teach the children about entrepreneurship. These children then have access to a free market as well as a free business starter kit of their choosing.”

Gates also emphasized another key aspect of the program.

“Kid’s Markets provides children with real-life experience in starting and running a small business,” Gates said. “The children are responsible for running their booths and interacting with customers. It gives them a level of ownership and confidence that is difficult to replicate in a traditional learning setting.”

For some young entrepreneurs, that experience starts with simple but thoughtful decisions.

Alijah Cross, 12, a child at the March 21 market, decided on prices for his products on his own.

“Would I buy it for this price limit? That’s how I would price,” Cross said.

He and his twin brother, Alonzo, sell laser-cut wood products through their business, A. Cross Designs.

Clinton Earnest, a father at the market, said the exercise teaches his son lessons beyond making sales.

“We saw it as an opportunity for him to have a new experience and learn something,” Earnest said. “I think it’s a great way to get them to understand kind of how to sell something, but also how to interact with people.”

The young vendors even bought from each other.

When Harmony Chandler, 9, mentioned her book, “Harmony’s Loose Tooth,” she highlighted another vendor’s booth, Melody’s Market.

“You need to try out her brownies,” Chandler said. “They are so good.”

Moments like that reflect the kind of environment managers such as Gates hope to continue building as the market grows.

“I am hopeful that one day we can partner with Soda City,” Gates said of Columbia’s Saturday market that takes over Main Street. “Since we are fairly new in Columbia, our average number of vendors is 22. However, in some of the more established cities across the country, they have upwards of 50-60 vendors on average! I am just amazed at the thought and cannot wait to see Columbia grow to those numbers!”