Booths of Innovation and Ambition: Young Entrepreneurs Shine at Second Saturdays

By: Rylee Palmer, Contributing Writer

Kandice Noonan selling her beaded jewelry at October Second Saturdays

Innovation and ambition are attributes shown by the young entrepreneurs, under the age of 18, within the Centralia community. ​

They are given an opportunity to display and sell their products through Second Saturdays entrepreneur row in the months of May and October. 

Many Centralia students have participated in Second Saturdays in the past including students in the S.M.A.R.T. program, Centralia High School (CHS) Earth Club members and other independent entrepreneurs, such as sophomore Courtney De’Ornellis and eighth grade student Kandice Noonan. 

This month Noonan highlighted her business at Second Saturdays entrepreneur row. Noonan sold her handmade beaded jewelry at her booth while enduring the frigid temperatures. Noonan makes clay bead bracelets, earrings and necklaces. She started selling, with the support of her mom, at 13 years old because it is hard to find money earning opportunities at that age. 

This was not Noonan’s first entrepreneur row appearance, she has been selling jewelry for awhile now. Noonan shared, “I started making my bracelets around a year or two ago. I just started making them for Christmas gifts but as that went on I started selling them to friends and family to get a profit to buy more supplies. I had a teacher that bought a pair of earrings from me and she told me that she would wear them every time she gets to teach me.”

At a past Second Saturdays, De’Ornellis set up a booth to sell her farm fresh eggs in entrepreneur row. Similarly, De’Ornellis said, “I got started by wanting chickens when I was little and then wanted to start making money from selling the eggs. One thing that stands out is the amount of kids that have their own small business.” Entrepreneur row has supported 42 youth throughout the years.

Brad Page, local business owner and founder of Second Saturdays, shared, “We were inspired to start Second Saturdays after traveling to many vendor shows around the midwest.  We started Reclaimed as a side business by setting up a booth at vendor shows, and we thought it would be fun to offer a similar opportunity to our local community.  We are inspired by young people that are pursuing their passion through entrepreneurship.  We are blessed and fortunate to have an event that can give them an opportunity to showcase their business.”

If you have never been, Second Saturdays always has a variety of items from freeze dried skittles and food trucks to handmade jewelry. There truly is something for everyone.

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