Kids to set up shop at Kapolei mall

Keiki will practice their entrepreneurial skills with more than just a lemonade stand on Saturday.

Twenty-five “kidpreneurs” have won the opportunity to sell their wares at a Kids, Inc. program at the Ka Makana Ali‘i mall in Kapolei from noon to 4 p.m. The kids will set up in the center court, next to American Eagle Outfitters.

“It has been great to see all the creativity and fun business ideas flood in,” said Stephanie England, general manager of Ka Makana Ali‘i. “We are looking forward to this next phase of the program when we get to support the kids by putting them in business. What a great event for keiki, parents and the community as well.”

The one-day event will feature everything from handmade jewelry and up-cycled crafts to services.

Participants were given the opportunity to create something from scratch, offer a service or resell a product purchased from a wholesaler.

Kid-run businesses are expected to have minimal parental involvement so participants can learn about business, make money and, most of all, have fun.

Youth ranging in age from 6 to 16 were invited to participate by submitting their business plans to Ka Makana Ali‘i by July 5. Winners were chosen by votes via the mall’s Facebook page and announced on July 6.

Kamalanimaile Manner, 16, sees the event as an opportunity to showcase her creativity and connect with others. Her business, A Little Bit of Everything, will offer handmade crafts, gifts and Hawaiian games.

“I just like giving,” Manner said. “I’m so happy that I got this opportunity to make my own stuff and share it with people. I just hope that they have fun with the things I make or they enjoy it because I enjoy giving it to them.”

Keiki entrepreneurs can keep all the money they make or donate it to a worthy cause, which is what Manner is choosing to do.

She will be donating some of her money to Stuffed With Aloha, an annual backpack drive for children at Maili Land Transitional Housing, and create goody container kits for children at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.

Her mother, Mauka Leilani, said the process of getting ready for the event prompts children to focus their time and energy on something positive. “They are so into making their merchandise (that they) don’t have time to be on Instagram (or) Snapchat,” Leilani said. “They got to focus because if they don’t, they will have nothing to sell.”

The goal of the program is to promote retail entrepreneurism among today’s youth, organizers said. Community members are encouraged to attend and support the young entrepreneurs.

“We would just really love the community to know about the event and to come out and support these … kidpreneurs,” said Alex Kirley, marketing director of Ka Makana Ali‘i. “I know that a lot of them have already started working really hard preparing for this day, so it’s a really big deal to all of the children that are participating.”

The program is hosted at select Jones Lang LaSalle-managed shopping centers throughout the United States.

For more information about the program, visit Ka Makana Ali‘i’s Kids, Inc. webpage at kamakanaalii.com/event/kidinc or facebook.com/kamakanaalii.