Students succeed with Pop-Up Shop

Move over, “Shark Tank”!

The walls of Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff on Hazel Street were abuzz with pint-sized, business-savvy students Wednesday as the school hosted its first-ever Kidpreneur Student Pop-Up Shop. Students from every grade transformed the school’s innovation center into a marketplace bursting with creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Shoppers delighted in a wide range of handmade items, including vibrant friendship bracelets. For food, there were both sweet and savory options such as sour grapes, cookies, and cake.

Principal Jherrithan Dukes set an exemplary precedent by personally leading a small team of chefs in serving satisfying meat nachos to a queue that remained substantial throughout the event.

“Today we’re having a student pop-up shop here in Friendship for our student entrepreneurs to launch businesses and for our students who have established businesses,” said Dukes, who wanted to teach his students about the basics of business and finance in a hands-on way. “For years we’ve been talking about a way to do some type of ‘Shark Tank’ or business pitch but when we realized that many of our students already had businesses, we made it simple.”

Dukes emphasized that enabling students to showcase their entrepreneurial abilities and present their businesses in a pop-up shop was an obvious and straightforward decision.

As Assistant Principal Rebecca Newby made her way to each station, she shared in the enthusiasm of the young entrepreneurs, immersing herself in the offerings.

“I am impressed with all of the pop-up shops,” said Newby. “They are all special and unique and have their own meaning.”

Specifically, Jada, Newby’s daughter, owned a business named “Jada’s Joy Journals,” which held significant sentimental value for her.

“She lost her dad when she was in kindergarten and so she talks about the fact that she has to find her joy,” said Newby.

Eight-year-old Jada said her journals were a way to help people keep in touch with their joy because sometimes they can lose it.

“It can be very hard to keep your joy through hard times,” she said. “I lost my dad when I was 5 years old. It was really hard to be happy after that, but I still found my joy.”

At the pop-up shop, students experienced tremendous success, with several like 8-year-old Deja Jones selling out of their products before the day’s end. Deja, who was selling candied grapes coated in sour gummies, had nearly sold out just an hour into the event.

Deja was motivated to sell the sweet and sour treats due to their immense popularity among her friends. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have played a crucial role in the rising popularity of sour candy grapes. Besides their relative ease of preparation at home, the captivating combination of sweet and sour flavors has resonated well with children, making them a significant hit.

Kaliyah Rauls, Kaydence Walker, and Michelle Moutry, all young entrepreneurs at age 11, established their business rooted in the concept of “Black Girl Magic.” Their mission is to promote love and kindness through custom-made bracelets.

“Some of our bracelets have inspirational sayings that inspire you to follow your dreams,” Kaliyah said. In February she expressed the trio’s desire to do something meaningful for their schoolmates. Realizing that graduation was approaching, they sought to foster unity among everyone.

“We wanted to keep the environment happy and bring the community together,” she said.

“A lot is going on and it’s even hard for us young Black women to voice our emotions, so we made bracelets to help them build up themselves,” Michelle added. “We just graduated and there’s a lot of people that look up to us so we just want to encourage them to spread kindness, no matter what is going on around them.”

With each station change, the students’ excitement grew palpable. “I can’t wait to do this again next year,” they exclaimed with glee.

Dukes held a conversation with the students, emphasizing the significance of having a top-notch product and the essential tools required to ensure business success. This Pop-Up Shop served as an invaluable learning platform for the students, not only imparting knowledge but also fostering a sense of community.

This initiative aimed to inspire creativity and collaboration among the next generation of business leaders, cultivating their entrepreneurial spirit and preparing them for future success. Dukes emphasized the importance of investing in the future by starting early. He believes that as students mature, they can pursue higher education, launch businesses, and become leaders in their community.

“The presence of students interested in serving their community reflects positively on both the students and their families,” said Dukes, adding Pine Bluff is a great community that could benefit from more businesses. “It demonstrates their willingness to address community needs and make a positive impact.”