Deadline to apply for Youth Entrepreneurship Festival is Friday

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Cape Riverfront Market is hosting a one-day event to celebrate and encourage young entrepreneurs.

Organizers are dedicating Saturday, July 20 for the Youth Entrepreneurship Festival.

The festival is from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Cape Riverfront Market on Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau.

Organizers say this special event provides local youth with the best conditions to introduce the community to their products and services and for the community to get involved and support small businesses and young entrepreneurs.

In addition to the festival, SendAFriend and Old Town Cape will choose up to three young entrepreneurs from Illinois or Missouri between the ages of 12 and 18 to receive a $500 grant. Organizers say the grant money is for business-related costs, such as signage and marketing, display set-ups, manufacturing expenses and supplies and more.

Winners will be announced on the day of the festival.

Savannah Edwards with Old Town Cape said so far, things are coming together for a solid 2024 competition. “It’s actually a really, really great year for applications. We have a total of 12 currently, and I think this is the most we’ve had so far in the three years total that we’ve done it.”

Edwards said winner selection will be based on marketing materials, product style, and how long the teens have spent working on their startup.

Some of the ideas in the wide variety organizers say they’ve seen include arts and crafts, crochet, jewelry, candles, and food products.

“I’ve already been keeping an eye on all of the applicants so far, and they have all been amazing. It’s going to be really tough this year,” Edwards said.

These teens will be the future small business owners taking root in downtown Cape and similar communities across the country, which is why Old Town Cape is working to support them now.

“If we don’t encourage these youth entrepreneurs, we might not have as many small businesses in the future.”

The deadline to apply for the Youth Entrepreneurship Day grants is Friday, June 28. Applications can be found online here or by emailing savannahedwards@oldtowncape.org.