Before St. Tammany’s first all-kids market even opened its doors on June 17 in a Madisonville park, Market Munchkins was a success story. Just think of the lessons learned: the ABCs of running a small business; selecting stock; pricing; creating a company name; and making marketing decisions. Then, once the customers came and the sun rose higher over the market, there was learning to handle money; learning to handle customers (even the picky ones); executing or tweaking the sales plan; persevering against the heat; and continuing to put a best foot forward — even when both feet were tired and ready to quit.

Although no total sales amount was available for the 75 or so kid-operated booths (each with adult oversight), there was lots of shopping and plenty of product: a bounty of handcrafted jewelry and art from multiple young artisans; decorative goat milk soaps and beeswax lip balm; popsicles and lemonade stands; hand-harvested sunflower seeds, veggies, fruits and flowers from backyard gardens; fresh eggs from guaranteed-happy chickens; mouthwatering pastries and desserts from home kitchens; homemade slime in a rainbow of colors; decorated stones; handmade Father’s Day gifts; bubbles and face painting; a curated collection or two of toys, action figures and games; a food truck and more.

Even the four-hour market’s entertainment came from young artists singing, blowing horns and playing strings and keyboards. The School of Rock Northshore was on hand to show what they can do, as were members of Northshore Robotics. In fact, check out all the day’s young artists, entrepreneurs and creators in photos posted to the Market Munchkins Facebook page. There is already early talk about planning the next all-kids market, and any preparation will likely include a collaborative feedback session to examine “lessons learned” during the first one.

Summer or not, the lessons continue.