What happens when a child realizes that someone believes in their idea enough to spend real money on it?
According to San Tan Valley community member and music teacher McKell Bigelow, something powerful happens.
“Wow,” they realize. “My thing is good enough for someone to buy it.”
That moment is exactly what McKell hopes to create for local kids this August.
On Saturday, August 8, young entrepreneurs from across San Tan Valley and Queen Creek will set up their tables, arrange the things they’ve created, and open their very own businesses for the San Tan Valley Indoor Kids Market.
There will be jewelry makers. Young bakers. A lemonade business. 3D-printed creations. Kids who already have established businesses—and others who are still figuring out exactly what they want to make.
But for McKell, the most exciting part won’t necessarily be what’s on the tables.
It will be watching the kids standing behind them.
It Started With a Few Kid Vendors
The idea for an entire kids market didn’t appear all at once.
McKell, whose work often revolves around music, education, and children, had already begun exploring community events and markets. At one event held at The Homestead Cottage, she noticed something.
Among the adult vendors were a few kids selling things they had made.
One little girl was selling cupcakes.
“It was so cute,” McKell remembered. “She did really well.”
Watching those young vendors planted a seed.
McKell already works with many homeschool families through her music lessons, and she kept thinking about how much kids could learn if they had a market created specifically for them.
“I would have loved to do a kids market,” she said.
So eventually, the idea became simple:
Why not make the whole market for kids?
The Kind of Opportunity She Wishes She Had as a Kid
When asked why supporting young entrepreneurs matters so much to her, McKell kept coming back to one thing: opportunity.
“I want to give them opportunities that I didn’t necessarily get.”
For a child, running a market booth might look like a fun Saturday afternoon.
But underneath the handmade bracelets, cookies, signs, and displays, they’re learning lessons that are difficult to teach from a worksheet.
They’re learning how to create something from an idea.
How to decide what it’s worth.
How to display it.
How to talk to a customer.
How to handle money.
How to make a sale.
And sometimes, how to go home with things that didn’t sell.
That last lesson matters too.
During our conversation, we talked about how exciting it is when a child sells out—but also how valuable it can be when they don’t.
A kids market creates a rare kind of environment where children can experience both success and disappointment while still being surrounded by people who want them to succeed.
“It’s such a safe way to teach them not only how to be successful, but sometimes how to fail, and that build resilience,” McKell said.
When Someone Buys Something a Child Made
There’s something different about watching a child make their first sale.
They don’t hide the excitement very well.
Their faces light up.
And McKell believes that moment goes deeper than simply earning a few dollars.
“When you create something, it’s like part of you,” she explained. “Someone else is like, ‘Oh, I like that,’ or appreciates that.”
For a young creator, a customer buying something they made can feel like more than a transaction.
It can feel like someone is saying:
I see what you made.
I think it has value.
I believe in your idea.
“It’s just empowering,” McKell said. “My thing is good enough for someone to buy it.”
That’s one of the biggest reasons she hopes the community will show up.
Not simply because the kids need customers.
Because sometimes a child needs the experience of discovering that someone outside their own family believes in what they created.
Some Are Experienced. Some Are Starting From Scratch.
McKell is hoping to welcome around 10 to 15 young vendors to the first market.
Some of the children signing up already have established businesses and experience selling their products.
Others have never participated in a market before.
Some are still tossing around ideas and trying to decide what they could make.
That variety is part of what McKell loves most.
“I think just overall, the creativity,” she said.
The businesses already represented include jewelry, baked goods and other food items, lemonade, and 3D printing.
The biggest requirement?
It needs to be the child’s business.
“Mom’s not here to do it,” McKell explained. “You’re doing it. Your thing, your table and your setup—that’s all you.”
Young vendors must be under 18 and have an adult with them. Each vendor is responsible for their table, display, signage, and clearly marked prices.
The vendor fee is $15, and space is limited.
Several children who have expressed interest have never done a market before, which makes McKell even more excited to see what happens when the doors open.
Why This Matters for San Tan Valley and Queen Creek
McKell sees the market as part of something bigger happening in our community.
San Tan Valley and Queen Creek are growing quickly, but families are still looking for more opportunities to gather close to home.
“We don’t have a ton of things,” she said. “Building those things and building those communities is important.”
Instead of always driving to Phoenix or Mesa for something to do, McKell wants to help create more reasons for families to stay local.
And this particular event feels especially fitting for an area filled with entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The children selling bracelets, cupcakes, lemonade, and 3D-printed creations this August are growing up in a community where entrepreneurship is everywhere.
They’re watching neighbors build businesses from home.
They’re seeing local makers sell what they create.
They’re watching small businesses begin with an idea and grow.
Now, they get a place to try it too.
“Everyone has something to add to their community,” McKell said. “There’s value.”
The hope is that children learn that early.
The Market Almost Didn’t Happen
The idea had been sitting in McKell’s mind since the fall.
Then, after another vendor event in the spring, she mentioned it to her friend Brandy Hansen, owner of The Homestead Cottage AZ.
Wouldn’t it be fun to do an entire market for kids?
Brandy had created her space to be a place for community gatherings, classes, and events.
Her answer was essentially: Sure. Let’s do it.
Still, the idea sat for a little while longer.
Then about a month ago, McKell decided:
“I’m just going to do it.”
Since then, she and her husband have been working through all the pieces people rarely see.
Measuring the venue.
Figuring out how many booths will fit.
Renting the space.
Coordinating with parents.
Answering questions.
Advertising.
Organizing the logistics.
McKell is the idea person. Her husband helps bring those ideas back down to earth.
She laughed while explaining that he’s the one who reminds her what is actually realistic.
He also pointed out something important about the event:
She probably isn’t going to make any money from it.
McKell knows.
She’s doing it anyway.
Because she loves building communities, bringing people together, and creating the kinds of opportunities she wishes existed more often.
“I feel like people are just waiting around for someone else to do it,” she said.
McKell doesn’t mind being that someone.
Her only request?
Show up.
This Is the First One. The Community Gets to Decide What Happens Next.
The San Tan Valley Indoor Kids Market is the first event of its kind McKell has organized.
She hopes it won’t be the last.
Maybe it becomes annual.
Maybe it grows into something more regular.
Maybe more young entrepreneurs discover that they love creating, selling, teaching, or building something of their own.
That part hasn’t been decided yet.
In many ways, what happens next depends on the community.
“If this is something that the community wants, let’s push for it,” McKell said.
That means coming to the market.
Sharing the event.
Bringing your kids.
And, if you can, buying something from a young entrepreneur.
Because that purchase might look like a bracelet, a cookie, a cup of lemonade, or something made on a 3D printer.
But to the child standing behind the table?
It could be the first time they realize:
Someone believes in something I made.
And that’s a pretty incredible thing to be part of.
San Tan Valley Indoor Kids Market
Saturday, August 8, 2026
1:00–3:00 PM
The Homestead Cottage AZ
28311 N Homestead Ln.
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
The event is free to attend and will be held indoors.
Young entrepreneurs under 18 who are interested in becoming a vendor can contact the organizers at [email protected] or (480) 901-1298. Vendor spaces are $15 and limited to approximately 15 booths, so interested families are encouraged to reach out soon.
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