Sign up for daily headlines
Get the latest for each day in the morning.
Tyler Macke, 21, poses for a photo in front of SendAFriend’s stuffed animals. Macke started his business in 2018 and partnered with Old Town Cape to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs.
Sent
Entrepreneurs, ages 14 to 18, have the opportunity to receive a $250 grant provided by SendAFriend and have their own vendor booth space at the Cape Riverfront Market on September 10.
Old Town Cape and SendAFriend are partnering in this event to help three young entrepreneurs with their business expenses on Youth Entrepreneurship Day. Selected applicants will also be promoted on Cape Riverfront Market social media.
SendAFriend was created by young entrepreneur Tyler Macke of Jackson. Customers order care packages filled with stuffed animals to be sent to loved ones around the world. The company has delivered more than 225,000 care packages since its launch in 2018.
The purpose of the Youth Entrepreneurship Day is to encourage young people to start a business and to provide them with the best conditions for success. According to Riverfront Market’s vendor information packet for the event, “The purpose of the SendAFriend donation is to cover business expenses. Examples of eligible business-related expenses are signage and marketing; vendor booth set-up items such as tablecloths, display racks, etc.” ; costs of manufacturing the product; or supplies and equipment to create the product. This is not a complete list of eligible costs.”
Eligible applicants must be a resident of Missouri or Illinois and apply no later than July 29. Registration will be available starting Friday on the Old Town Cape website, www.downtowncapegirardeau.com, under the events tab. Applicants wishing to apply for Youth Entrepreneurship Day before Friday can email Old Town Cape event coordinator Sydney Waters at sydneywaters@oldtowncape.org.
Applicants will be asked to answer what is the vision and inspiration for their business, how the $250 will be spent, a list of products expected to be sold, photos of finished products, and a list of all the supplies the entrepreneur will need to create their product.
The Cape Riverfront Market, 35 S. Spanish St., runs from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday and will continue through Oct. 29.
