Young entrepreneurs put business skills to the test at McNulty’s fair

Ice cream wasn’t the only thing drawing crowds to McNulty’s Ice Cream Parlor in Miller Place this weekend.

Dozens of young entrepreneurs, ages 8 to 16, set up shop outside the longtime Main Street staple Saturday for the second annual Children’s Business Fair, showcasing everything from handmade crafts and artwork to temporary tattoos and other creative products. (Scroll down for more photos.)

But for organizer and McNulty’s owner Gail McNulty, the event is about much more than selling handmade goods.

Unlike a traditional craft fair, every participant is responsible for running a business from the ground up. Each child creates a business name, develops a product, designs a booth, sets prices, brings a cash box and spends the day pitching their creations directly to customers while parents encourage them from the sidelines.

“They had to do everything from start to finish,” McNulty said. “Create a booth, a business name, create their product, set the price point and get here on time.”

Some of the young entrepreneurs took that responsibility seriously.

McNulty laughed as she recalled many vendors arriving as early as 7:30 a.m. to prepare for the fair’s 10 a.m. opening.

Beyond teaching business fundamentals, she hopes the experience helps children develop confidence and communication skills.

“They have to use their skills to talk to customers and explain what they’re selling,” she said. “This is the future of our country. Hopefully they’ll be future business owners and business leaders.”

The idea for the fair grew out of McNulty’s own family experience. Her now-grown children all own businesses, and she watched one son begin selling Pokémon products online while he was still in middle school.

“If my kids are doing it, I’d like to provide the opportunity for the local kids around here,” she said.

After a successful debut last year, the event returned this summer with 45 young vendors and an even wider variety of products.

“We had a great turnout last year,” McNulty said. “We just got bigger and better. The things that people are selling this year are phenomenal. They were great last year, but even greater this year.”

Among the participants were 11-year-old cousins Lolo and Max, who teamed up to run Crafted Chaos, selling handmade artwork and crafts.

“We’ve been selling for about two years,” Max said. “We started out at our house selling bracelets we made to our family members. Then we eventually upgraded to this business here.”

For Lolo, the fair was an opportunity to share her creativity with the community.

“My cousin and I have been looking forward to this for a long time,” she said. “It’s so much fun. I love talking to people and sharing my art with them. It always makes me so excited whenever I get the chance.”

As families browsed the booths throughout the day, the fair gave young entrepreneurs a chance to gain real-world experience while offering the community a glimpse of the next generation of business owners.

For McNulty, that’s exactly the point.

“It’s my way of getting kids to show off what they can do.”

Scenes from the biz fair

Photos by Julianne Mosher