Riverside Fall Market makes room for Jacksonville’s next generation of business owners

At Riverside Fall Market, some of the people selling their creations will still be kids. That is a good reason to slow down at a booth, ask a question and let a young business owner tell you what they have made.

The market runs Sunday, November 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverside Artist Square, bringing local shopping, food, music and performances to the covered outdoor space. Admission and parking are free. Alongside the larger market, a Kids Markets program gives children a chance to operate their own small businesses and keep their profits.

For a family, that can make the outing something more memorable than another shopping trip. A child preparing to sell has practical decisions to make: what to offer, how to display it and what price to ask. A shopper has an equally simple way to participate—take the young seller seriously. Ask about the product. Give them time to explain. A purchase puts real business on the other side of that preparation.

Editor's note: Take a young seller seriously: ask about the product and give them time to explain.

On its website, Jacksonville Business Connections, the organization behind the larger event, dates its founding to November 2013. In its account of those beginnings, the goal was to help local businesses meet one another and reach customers through networking and events. Its current calendar continues that work through markets in Jacksonville and surrounding communities.

Riverside offers a particularly approachable version of that idea: people can meet a business face to face, see what it makes and decide whether to support it. With children also taking part, the November gathering brings that opportunity to sellers at very different stages.

Families interested in a children’s booth should register through Kids Markets separately from attending the free public market. The program has a posted November 7 deadline, subject to an earlier sellout. Families supply their own tables and chairs. A wagon is recommended for the walk from unloading to the selling area, and the covered location means a canopy is unnecessary.

Businesses interested in the main market have a separate registration process through Jacksonville Business Connections. A vendor space is confirmed after registration and payment.

Editor's note: Children’s booth registration is separate from free public admission.

For visitors, the organizer gives the address as 725 Riverside Avenue.

Bring a little time along with your shopping budget. The chance to hear directly from the person behind a product is part of what makes a local market worth the visit. This November, that person might be getting their very first taste of running a business.

Explore the Riverside Fall Market on Errbody.