Young entrepreneurs triumph at Merseyway Shopping Centre

Merseyway buzzed with creativity, energy and entrepreneurial spirit this month as young entrepreneurs aged between 10 and 26 took over the centre mall.

The Teenage Market featured over stall selling products ranging from handmade jewellery and original artwork to artisan bakes and sustainable crafts. Showcasing the incredible ambition of the next generation of business leaders, the young traders collectively took home over £1,500.

Among the budding business owners was 12-year-old Ula Sykes, who said,

“The organisers of the Teenage Market are lovely, and the set-up is amazing. The market helps young people show their business skills and it’s helped me feel more confident talking to people”.

The Teenage Market was part of Merseyway’s wider half term celebrations, following the launch of Stockroom, Stockport’s new creative cultural hub. Alongside the stalls, visitors could enjoy a packed programme of free family-friendly activities, including free skateboard sessions hosted by Send it Skate Park, interactive art with Earl from Rtime, a pop-up disco raising Dementia awareness, a community engagement space with Ohana and hands-on clay workshops.

Victoria Nichol, Centre Manager at Merseyway said:

“It was a real pleasure to welcome the Teenage Market to Merseyway. Supporting young people and providing them with a platform to showcase their ideas and talents is something Merseyway is deeply passionate about. Seeing their confidence grow and the community come out to support them was incredibly rewarding and it’s events like these that make Merseyway a place where creativity and community thrive.”

Joe Barratt, co-founder of the Teenage Market said:

“We were delighted to partner with Merseyway to deliver this Teenage Market event, which also marked a special milestone for us as we celebrate turning 13 this year – officially becoming a teenager ourselves! Over the past thirteen years, we’ve given thousands of young people a free platform to showcase their creative talents, and we’re excited to bring even more creative opportunities to young people in Stockport as we look ahead to the future.”