WILD & WAYWARD'S YOUTH VENDOR PROGRAM
Big Ideas Can Start Small
Young & Wayward gives young growers, makers, bakers, artists, and entrepreneurs a place to learn, create, and bring something of their own to market.
You don't have to have everything figured out. You just need something you're excited to grow, make, bake, create, or build—and a willingness to learn along the way.
Open to young vendors age 17 and under
More Than Playing Store
Your idea gets a real place to grow
Young & Wayward isn’t a pretend marketplace or a one-day business lesson.
It’s an opportunity to take an idea and actually do something with it—to create or grow a product, figure out what it’s worth, prepare it for market, talk to real customers, make real sales, solve real problems, and learn what running a business feels like by actually running one.
Your Idea. Your Hands. Your Market Table.
Young & Wayward is for young people with something of their own to grow, make, bake, create, or share. Your idea doesn't have to look like anybody else's.
🌱 GROW IT
Vegetables, flowers, herbs, seedlings, garden goods, and other things you've helped grow or raise.
🥖 BAKE IT
Breads, cookies, treats, and other homemade foods that meet applicable market and food-safety requirements.
🧶 MAKE IT
Art, jewelry, fiber goods, woodworking, sewn items, crafts, décor, and other things you've made yourself
✨ CREATE SOMETHING ELSE
Have an idea that doesn't fit neatly into a box? That's okay. Tell us what you're working on—we'd love to hear about it.
Young & Wayward products should be created, grown, raised, or meaningfully produced by the young vendor, with age-appropriate adult help when needed.
From Big Idea To Market Day
You bring the idea. We'll help you understand what comes next.
01 — DREAM IT
Think about what you'd like to grow, bake, make, raise, or create. It doesn't have to be perfect—you just need an idea you're excited to work on.
02 — APPLY
Tell us a little about you, your idea, and what you'd like to bring to Wild & Wayward. A parent or guardian will be part of the process, too.
03 — GET MARKET READY
Once accepted, we'll make sure you and your grown-up know what needs to be completed before your first market day, including any requirements that apply to what you're bringing.
04 — BRING IT TO MARKET
Set up, meet customers, share what you've created, learn as you go, and experience what it's like to run something of your own. 🌻
You don't need to know everything before you apply.
Young & Wayward is about learning by doing—with support along the way.
The Stuff You Can't Learn From A Worksheet
Some things you only learn by doing them.
You can learn what profit means on paper. You can practice making change. You can write down what good customer service looks like.
But it’s different when the product on the table is yours.
Young & Wayward gives young entrepreneurs the chance to experience the parts of running a business that are hard to recreate anywhere else:
TURNING AN IDEA INTO SOMETHING REAL
Taking something from “What if I made…” to something another person can actually buy.
PRICING & MONEY
Figuring out what something costs to make, what to charge, and whether the numbers actually work.
TALKING TO REAL CUSTOMERS
Answering questions, explaining what you made, accepting feedback, and getting a little more comfortable saying, “I made this.”
PREPARATION & RESPONSIBILITY
Making enough product, getting everything packed, showing up prepared, setting up, keeping track of inventory, and taking care of your space.
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Because something eventually won't go according to plan—and figuring out what to do next is part of running a business.
TRYING AGAIN
Learning what worked, what didn't, what you'd change, and what you want to try next time.
Not everything will sell. And that's okay.
A price might need adjusting. A display might not work. A customer might ask a question you don't know how to answer. Something you thought would be your bestseller might come home with you.
That's part of it.
Young & Wayward is about getting the chance to learn those things somewhere encouraging enough to try.
Grown-Ups: This Part Is For You
Their business. Your backup.
Parents and guardians are an important part of helping young vendors have a safe, successful market experience. Depending on the young vendor’s age and what they’re bringing to market, that may mean helping with preparation, paperwork, transportation, setup, safety requirements, and supervision.
The goal isn’t for adults to take over. It’s to give young vendors the support they need while leaving room for their ideas, their work, and their confidence to grow.
BE THEIR SUPPORT
HELP THEM GET MARKET READY
HELP THEM SHOW UP READY
Help with the parts that aren’t age-appropriate or that require an adult, while keeping the young vendor involved in their own project.
A parent or guardian will complete required agreements and help make sure any applicable food-safety, insurance, licensing, or other requirements are taken care of before market day.
Youth age 12 and under must have a parent, guardian, or responsible adult present during market participation. Youth age 13–17 may participate independently if the parent/guardian and young vendor are comfortable doing so. Some activities or setups may require additional adult supervision.
You don’t need to figure out the requirements on your own. If your young vendor is accepted, we’ll tell you what applies to their specific situation and what needs to happen next.