Young entrepreneurs show their stuff

By Rose Sgarlato
SPARTA — Many young entrepreneurs were hard at work selling their wares last Tuesday evening at Treps Marketplace held at Sparta Middle School.
The after-school program sponsored by the Sparta Middle School PTO teaches students skills needed to start their own businesses. The five-week workshops incorporate product development, business finance, advertising, marketing and salesmanship. The program culminated on Feb. 28 at Treps Marketplace where the 110 participants sold their products.
There are Treps programs in a number of schools in the county. Treps, which is also spelled Trep$, is an abbreviation of entrepreneurs.
Sixth, seventh and eight graders represented a total of 67 businesses, some worked individually and others teamed up. There was quite a cross section of commerce: food, bath and beauty, jewelry and housewares to name a few categories.
In the bath sector, there was no lack of soaps known as ‘bombs’ or soap balls that get fizzy and dissolve when thrown in the tub. Popular among the ‘tween’ set, company names included Bubblicious, The Bomb, Summer Scrubs, Le Bomb, Bath World and Bath Muffin. There may have been a few more also and to be fair to the students, each display had their own twist and draw like sixth graders Kylie O’Neil and Luci Wicker of The Bomb who donned p.j.’s and bathrobes to drive home the message.
Kavya Komath a 7th grader and owner of Bath Muffins, also a bath soap, makes a fair comparison:
“It’s like cooking. You have your wet ingredients and your dry. And you put one into the other.”
Although not invited, pets were not forgotten. Brothers Louis and Thomas Dynia (grades six and seven respectively) were quite busy at Dog House Bakery selling homemade, all natural pet treats. Inspired by their mother’s pet business, the brothers had a variety of offerings including cat food that, according to them, is a rarity.
“From time to time , our Mom would make dog and cat treats for her customers. So we learned early on,” said Thomas Dynia.
And technology played a part at Crystal Prints by sixth graders Owen Hassloch and Aiden Mahoney who used popular sports images and super heroes to create magnets with a printer that uses crystals.
The businesses received great support from their peers and the community who came to shop.
“It's such a great experience to watch the students, their businesses and their products progress throughout the program and to see the final results of all their hard work at the marketplace,” Kristen Davis, PTO President.
Sparta Middle School was proud of the Treps participants.
“The students work so hard throughout the program. In the beginning, they really don't appreciate how much work and attention to detail is required to run your own business,” said Brad Davis, Assistant Principal SMS. “However, when they make it to the Marketplace they get it and can stand back and look at all they have accomplished and be really proud of themselves. I love watching that epiphany.”