KARACHI: It may have been run by little ones but there was nothing small or lacking about the MSC Children’s Market at The Dawood Foundation’s (TDF) MagnifiScience Centre on Saturday. Running their stalls with confidence and ease, the young entrepreneurs sold food, games, art pieces, decorations, jewellery, stationery, books and what not? One really had to appreciate their sales skills as they persuaded customers to buy from them.

Mohammed Uqaili was selling beautiful earrings at the Heavenly Pearls stall designed and handmade by his mother, who herself sells her jewellery from her Instagram page. Young Uqaili shared with Dawn that besides expecting good sales and making a handsome commission from them, he was also going to get an extra payment from his mother for his good work.

“Buy something. We’ve only made three sales since we opened,” said one little girl, Zoya Allawala, with curly locks and puppy eyes, about her art pieces. And which heartless soul could have said no to such a sweet request?

Wherever the sales got slow, some kids also loaded some of their best items on a vending tray and turned into hawkers while mingling with the crowd and asking visitors to try their stuff like Ruhab Abdul Wahid started doing, starting with selling paan masala to everyone.

Young entrepreneurs put up 65 stalls at TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre

At another stall there was another very creative brothers’ team selling you Lego sets as well as Lego craft. Ayan and Sufiyan Siddiqui had very craftily and creatively built robots, trucks, motorbikes, mobile phone holders, and so much more with Lego pieces, which they had on display. And all those who liked their craft were also buying their Lego sets to go home and build the same or something else with their blocks and pieces.

At the Puzzle Pursuits stall, there was food, art and games. Brothers Zaryab Khan and Mohammed Alyan were selling oil paintings and water colours along with inviting you to play a game. Of course, you had to first pay them Rs300 to play the game. If you won, you were treated to a free cup cake, but if you lost you had to pay them Rs250. And in case you didn’t want to play but just wanted a cup cake, you still had to buy it for Rs300 each. Very smart kids!

Similarly, K’nex kits were also on sale at one stall, ably manned by young Arsh Mudabbir. He also had models of base stations with rotating radars, merry go rounds, robots, cranes and trucks made from K’nex kits.

Nearby was his sister, Arisha Mudabbir, selling educational toys such as the abacus and tools and devices to build one’s own toys from polystyrene thermocol sheets. Both the children were also distributing their visiting cards, which they had also designed and printed themselves.

At the Yummy Treats stall Zimal Murtaza Isani was selling the yummiest of doughnuts, brownies, cookies and mini pizzas. The little girl had learned her menu with the prices by heart, which she would quickly read out to every customer. Asked if she had baked anything, she quickly shook her head to point to her friend. “Her father baked everything for us to come and sell here.” she informed, while making all the women around her giggle.

All in all, there were some 65 stalls, offering excellent stuff, while also helping the children running the stalls build up their entrepreneurial skills as well as their people skills.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2023