Students' sales soar

There's some new stalls popping up at Bayfair Shopping Centre today, with a chance for shoppers to see what the next generation of Tauranga business leaders have to offer.

Otumoetai College students Kelsie Sant, Lacie Glenvile, James Mercer show off their Babylon Gardens. Photo: Cameron Avery.

Young Bay of Plenty entrepreneurs are selling their innovative products created through the Young Enterprise Scheme during a special Trade Fair from 9am-6pm today.

There's 14 pop-up stalls selling everything from hanging gardens to upcycled chalk boards, with some products on sale to the public for the first time.

Otumoetai College student Lacie Glenvale is biting her fingernails in the hope shoppers will like her group's hanging herb gardens.

'It's pretty cool,” says Lacie, who's counted 25 sales so far. 'Lots of people are really interested in what it is. It's a bit different because we haven't really had a proper business but it's fun to have people to come and actually buy our actual product.”

The YES group's Babylon Gardens can be installed both inside and outside, eliminating the problem of having to go outside to the herb garden during the winter nights.

'We have four different herbs: oregano, thyme, mint and rosemary,” says Lacie.

'To look after them you just pop them in a bowl of water and let them drip dry for a little bit. They can last up to a year as long as you look after them and give them lots of sunlight.”

To draw shoppers in, the Young Enterprise Group is encouraging people to take a photo of them with their Babylon Gardens and upload it to Instagram or Facebook to go in the draw to win a $20 Bayfair voucher.

Use the hashtags #babylongardens or #Neeah2015 to upload your photos.

Aquinas College Year 12 student Alex Dawick says their chalk tray created from upcycled wooden pallets have been popular.

'We're doing quite well,” says Alex. 'We've sold three so far and we've got some people who have put some on hold.

'It's really cool I don't think any of us expected it to be this much fun.”

For $10 each, the chalk trays are a multipurpose product which Alex says broadens their target market.

The Young Enterprise Scheme is a learning programme offering students the opportunity to create a business and run it for a year.

The teams are hoping to represent the region at the Young Enterprise National Awards in Wellington in October.

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