Young vendors bring local colour and business learning to Victoria’s waterfront
This summer, Ship Point at Victoria’s Inner Harbour has been transformed into a low-stakes classroom for young entrepreneurs. The Kidovate Youth Entrepreneurship pop-up market — a free initiative run by the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business — invites the public to meet student vendors and buy locally made goods most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
The program, founded in 2019 by entrepreneurship professors Brock and Claudia Smith, pairs younger students with university business mentors and supplies a graphic-novel-style workbook that guides participants through product development and business decisions. The Ship Point activation is a collaboration between Kidovate and the City of Victoria.
- When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4:30–7 p.m.
- Where: Ship Point, Victoria Inner Harbour
- Organizers: University of Victoria Gustavson School of Business (Kidovate)
Organizers say the market does more than sell crafts and snacks. It aims to build practical skills — from customer service to basic accounting — and to give children a chance to test ideas in public. Visitors to the market can take a sticker and a colouring sheet that doubles as a scavenger hunt, highlighting the animals and plants researched by local scientists who have displays in the shipping-container exhibits at Ship Point.
“We have 50 per cent fewer entrepreneurial businesses starting today than 20 years ago, and we know that small business is the economic engine for Canada,”
The quoted observation from one of Kidovate’s founders frames the program’s civic purpose: to nurture “possible selves” for children so entrepreneurship remains a visible and viable path. Last year, Kidovate expanded considerably — about 230 youth vendors participated across the program’s markets, filling all three levels of the university centre used for events.
| Program start | Participation (last year) | Ship Point schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ~230 youth vendors | Tues–Thurs, 4:30–7 p.m. |
For Victoria, the pop-up is a small but visible example of how public spaces are being programmed to support learning, tourism and local commerce. Ship Point already draws residents and visitors for festivals and waterfront activities; Kidovate’s presence there places youth entrepreneurship in the busiest stretch of the harbourfront and gives participants direct access to passing foot traffic.
Program leaders say the Kidovate model is pragmatic: younger participants are given a graphic novel workbook to think through product choices, pricing and customer engagement. They often work with university students who serve as mentors. The public market element completes the learning loop — turning classroom planning into a real sales experience and an opportunity to develop social and business skills.
City staff and organisers have encouraged residents to stop by, meet the young vendors and support local initiative. The inclusion of educational displays on marine and plant life alongside the stalls attempts to marry economic literacy with environmental awareness — a combination that reflects Victoria’s waterfront identity.
Kidovate’s leaders and the City frame the effort as both economic development and youth development: by creating early exposure to entrepreneurship, organisers hope to reverse broader declines in business formation and to sustain small-business activity in communities across Vancouver Island and beyond.
Residents can expect the market to continue through the summer evenings, offering a rotating mix of products and a chance to see the next generation of Vancouver Island entrepreneurs at work on the harbour.
