On June 17, 2022, High School students Connor Wong and Wilson Song held their 4th Teen Entrepreneur Fair. During the current inflationary period of rising gasoline and basic necessities costs, the young business partners considered their own struggles during the start-up period and decided to support other entrepreneurs, launching a no-cost opportunity for youth to showcase their talents and connect with their community.
IRVINE, Calif., June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On June 17, 2022, Sage Hill High School rising sophomores Connor Wong and Wilson Song held their 4th Teen Entrepreneur Fair. The two formed their company, Umbrella Stationery and Goods while finishing up middle school at VanDamme Academy, and expanded their outreach throughout the pandemic. The duo ramped up product exposure by harnessing the internet to market their affordably priced custom goods, which has led to wide exposure to a worldwide audience. Connor and Wilson are student leaders of AEC Clubs, formed to serve the community and give back to society, supporting their premise that their event should be free to the teen vendors and the public.
During the current inflationary period of rising gasoline and basic necessities costs, the young partners considered their own struggles during the start-up period and decided to support other entrepreneurs, launching a no-cost opportunity for youth to showcase their talents, and connect with their community. Connor and Wilson host community business fairs for both teens and younger children, where they operate booths and offer unique goods, services, and food (with City permits) to the local community. Wilson reflected: "Everyone has potential, but many times they don't have the opportunity to discover their own passion and talent for entrepreneurship. If there are moments of discovering passion in one's life, I hope that our fairs are one of them…" Thus, Umbrella Stationery and Goods, rather than selfishly trying to outpace competition, decided to embrace their peers, and ignite the spark in young minds. Now is particularly beneficial to have affordable goods as many Orange County households find their disposable spending dollars stretched thin, and teens benefit from channels for business and artistic creativity, that can lead to economic rewards during challenging times.
The most recent Umbrella Goods and Stationary festival attracted over 40 young entrepreneurs coming from Southern California counties. The vendor requirements were simple, but firm. Vendors applying for a booth, must create their own services or products. Connor and Wilson found a local restaurant nestled in a business park that was open to serving as a venue. A walk around the booths showed various start-up companies offering stationary, jewelry, toys, artwork, masks, tote bags, treats and more. In addition, the exhibition also featured live artwork created by artists involved with US Arts & Design Irvine, a K-12 educational program, which created a school wide mural specific for the event, incorporating elements of the venue, fair, and young entrepreneurs. Connor thoughtfully shared his personal and partner goals: "We truly hope that our platform is a place for children to collaborate and strengthen our community. We have musicians, artists, and innovators joining together to inspire in this celebration of small business and youth."
To further support their community, Connor and Wilson raised five hundred dollars of funds for donation to St. Jude Children's Hospital and Cancer Research Center as well as Pretend City, thanks to generous donations from the vendors and guests.
The vendors set up their booths at 3pm and sold their unique wares until 8pm in the early evening. There was a constant flow of people at the beautiful Hangar 24 Craft Brewery venue which has been very supportive of their community events. Shoppers enjoyed the uniquely designed handicrafts and the enthusiasm of the arduous young entrepreneurs, while bringing the community closer together. At the closing ceremonies, ballots were counted from volunteer teen judges, and hundreds of dollars in prizes were awarded to various categories, including raffle prizes for guests. Generous community sponsors, including Disney, I-5 Self Storage (Tustin), School of Rock (Santa Ana), Perceiver Education, US Arts & Design, Minuteman Press at Irvine Spectrum, Mocaa, Pretend City, The One Pioneer, Full Season, and Swardstrom Group made these gifts possible.
During the challenges and isolation caused by the pandemic and inflation, it is heart-warming and inspirational to learn Connor Wong and Wilson Song have found a way to break through the tough times, and work within their community to inspire new ideas, offer solutions, and bring the community closer. It is refreshing to see our youth inspire and connect an entire community, and help overcome mental health and financial struggles by positive solutions.
https://umbrellastationery.com/
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