Young entrepreneurs trade at Oaty and Joey’s mini market

Children as young as six and seven paid a fee of just 50p to book one of the stall spaces to sell their wares. On offer was everything from homemade sweets to bracelets to paintings.

The event was the brainchild of Oaty and Joey’s director Hilton Ruch.

‘The idea is to give young children the experience of the entrepreneurial side of business,’ he said.

‘There are a lot of kids making things, and I thought, they can’t afford the adult markets, so let’s give them somewhere of their own.’

All 22 stalls were booked out before the event, which took place in the courtyard outside Oaty and Joey’s at the Oatlands Village.

10-year-olds Evie Fallaize and Phoebe Limond were two of the young tycoons with homemade products to sell.

Both had previous experience, having sold their goods on their own hedge veg stalls.

Evie, who was selling bracelets she makes from clay beads, said it was great to have a kid-friendly event.

‘You must never give up, that’s what I’ve learned,’ she said.

‘You will have good days and bad.’

Phoebe, who was selling keyrings and bookmarks she makes from resin, agreed.

‘You have to make sure you are fully prepared and have lots of stock.’

One of the older sellers was 14-year-old Leo Ogier, who was selling his own paintings and artwork. He started selling his work, which is mostly spray paint on canvas, over 18 months ago on Instagram, and has already had a stall at a Seafront Sunday.

‘I heard about this event through Facebook,’ he said.

‘I’ve already sold a couple of paintings and would definitely come back if they held it again. It’s a great idea.’