Young creators will be selling their unique products on Saturday, May 2 at the NextGen Innovators Market in West Hartford.

By Melissa Cole

Pickles, popcorn, crocheted stuffed animals, and scrunchies. Those are just some of the items you’ll find at the NextGen Innovators Market this Saturday, May 2. Designed for budding entrepreneurs, the market features all handmade goods created by kids ages 8-18.

Not only do these young vendors come up with their own ideas and bring them to life, but they also handle their own marketing and manage sales. We spoke with several of the participants who can’t wait for the community to come out and see what they’ve created.

Logan Barash, Noah Sadowsky, and Dylan Albert – sophomores at Kingswood Oxford – are leading the market this year. They’ve been busy reviewing and accepting applications, organizing the event, and managing social media. On top of that, they’ve also developed a product of their own.

The trio, known as the “Pickle Pioneers” (you can follow them on Instagram @pickle_pioneers), will be selling their signature pickles in three different flavors, including one that Logan says packs an extra kick.

“We have a special flavor. It’s called Ghost. It’s like a spice challenge. It has ghost pepper, hot sauce and a bunch of spicy peppers” Logan says.

They’ve already jarred about 160 of their creations, hand-cutting over 300 cucumbers. Dylan is excited for people to try them. 

“Noah, Logan, and I have been making these pickles for almost four months now and everything is going great. We make them all together and make sure each jar is carefully filled with all of our different ingredients. We can’t wait to exhibit our amazing product at the Young Entrepreneur Market.” Dylan says. 

Annie Kasowitz, a sixth grader at King Philip Middle School, has been crocheting for about a year and a half. It’s her favorite hobby, and she finds time on weekends and after school to create. Smaller animals take her about 45 minutes to make, while larger ones can take up to four hours.

She’ll be bringing a wide selection to the NextGen Innovators Market and hopes kids will love them. Annie carefully set her prices based on the time and materials involved, with all items priced under $20.

“I based a lot of my prices off of the time I spent on them, and the money that I put into the materials.” Annie says. “So for some I use a lot of stuffing and a lot of yarn, so I priced it a little higher than some of these, where I use less yarn.”

Fellow crocheters and classmates Lea Spilberg Massine and Maddie Cohen, also from King Philip Middle School, will be selling crocheted animals, along with beaded bracelets and bags. They often get together to create their items and are excited to showcase their work at the market.

Maddie says, “We’re young entrepreneurs. We do this for fun, and we want to share it with everyone.” Lea agrees, adding, “Come support us, we try our best.”

If you’re craving something salty or sweet while browsing the 43 vendor spaces this Saturday, stop by Aashir Mathur’s table. He’s selling his “Papa’s Popcorn.”

“I have three different flavors: movie theater, cinnamon sugar, and Cajun spice,” Aashir says. “The movie theater flavor is more on the salty side.” He adds that the movie theater variety includes a secret ingredient, while the cinnamon sugar flavor is inspired by one of his favorite cereals. “I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch and cinnamon in general, so I thought, why not put that into popcorn?”

He plans to have between 90 and 100 bags available and is hoping to sell out. 

Meanwhile, the “Crafty Girls,” Aurora Fitzgerald and June Salerno from Bugbee Elementary School, have been busy creating more than 60 scrunchies and key fobs. They learned how to sew by taking weekly classes at Hartford Stitch, and saw this market as a great way to test their skills. The girls are hoping their designs, especially a bee-themed pattern, will be a hit with their fellow Bugbee classmates.  

“We really like the bee one because we’re from Bugbee,” they said. “So if a lot of people from Bugbee come, we think these will be really popular.” The Crafty Girls plan to have plenty in stock and will keep prices under $10. “There are going to be some seven-year-old girls who see these and beg their moms to get one,” Aurora added.

The NextGen Innovators Market is this Saturday, May 2, in the West Hartford Town Hall parking lot, 50 South Main Street, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, May 3. 

Logan hopes all of his hard work organizing this fun, family event will pay off with a big turnout. “I just hope that whoever comes thinks it’s great. It’s a great opportunity for the kids, and the products are very good and unique. I just hope everyone has a great time.”

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