Harpurhey

Held in partnership with social enterprise Winning Hearts & Minds, this event brought together young people from all across North Manchester to take part in a Teenage Market event at Harpurhey Market.

The Harpurhey Teenage Market brought together over 20 young traders from across North Manchester and featured six live performances. This vibrant event not only provided a platform for young people to showcase their creative talents but also fostered a sense of community and entrepreneurial spirit.

Through the experiences shared by traders and performers, the market proved its value as a transformative opportunity for young entrepreneurs to explore their potential and gain invaluable skills.

For many of the participants, the market acted as a launchpad for their budding businesses. One trader, Zahrah who runs High Level Wellness, shared how her journey began during quarantine when boredom inspired her to start making soaps.

This hobby then evolved into a business idea, leading her to take part in The Teenage Market in Harpurhey, which she described as a “really good idea” as she had “made quite a bit of money” on the day. Imaan Mohammed, who runs RaRa Coffee with his brothers, said that “registering for the market was really easy, it was all done in three simple steps”.

Talking about his experiences of the day, he said that “before no-one knew about RaRa, now I’ve had at least 10 - 15 people follow us on social media and I think the brand is really going to take off”.

From berries to big business!

One of the most inspiring stories on the day came from a group of five young lads from Collyhurst, North Manchester who had spent their summer holidays foraging for berries.

Talking about their experience of the day, the lads said “We’ve got lots of money and sold lots of the jars. we only have few left now. Our hard work has paid off!”

The event went incredibly well for the traders, with many using it as the first time to take part in a market, and a range of performances brought the space to life, including Hadisa Afzaly, a spoken word poet from Afghanistan, who belongs to a collective of poets, artists, models and actors who are dedicated to expressing the customs and culture of their community.

Jasmine who runs Jasmine Makes said that she would “definitely recommend” the event to anyone starting out in business, as it’s really useful to find out what sells. Similarly, young trader Chantz said that the events “should happen often so that young people who have businesses can get out into the world to show what they can do”, a statement which we couldn’t agree with more!

Speaking about the success of the event, Nathan Martin, from social enterprise Winning Hearts & Minds, said that “I just want the young people to know that there’s support out there for them now. If they want to move their businesses forward there’s help available, we’ll be running more events and workshops to build on their experience from today.”

Following the initial Teenage Market event in Harpurhey, further events were run in Manchester city centre, including at Cutting Room Square in Ancoats and in the foyer of the Royal Exchange Theatre, providing more opportunities for young people to trade for free to grow their businesses.