The Sunderland Teenage Market returned to the North East BIC this October with a Halloween twist – and we went all out with the decorations to truly get in the spirit of things.
Our busy atrium area was transformed into a vibrant marketplace, with staff, tenants and visitors across the site invited along, providing lots of positive interaction between young traders and the wider business community.
The event, run in partnership with Washington Mind, provides young people with a free platform to showcase their creative and entrepreneurial skills.
It’s about more than selling products – it’s about developing skills, gaining experience, and inspiring the next generation of business leaders.
Young entrepreneurs showcased an impressive range of products, including:
- Heidi Cooke: Football and grip socks
- Noisy Prints: Jewellery and tote bags
- Rumpus: T-shirts and mugs
By providing a low-risk environment for young people to test their business ideas, the BIC helped them gain valuable experience in trading, pricing and customer interaction – the building blocks of confidence and resilience.
To inspire and support these budding business owners, established pop-up stalls such as Ringtons also joined the event, acting as role models and sharing their trading experience.
Lilla Preston, Special Projects Manager at the BIC, said: “Nurturing new enterprise is at the heart of what we do at the BIC, so we were delighted to provide a safe and supportive space where young people could build confidence, gain experience, and learn from each other – as well as established businesses.
“After a hugely successful pilot last year, we decided to go large this year, opening up the opportunity to even more teenagers. We even asked our tenants if they knew any young people who’d benefit from the chance to sell their products – and the response was great.”
Working alongside Washington Mind ensured that the event also supported young people’s mental health and personal development, making the market a meaningful blend of enterprise, creativity, and wellbeing.
Know a young person whose fizzing with entrepreneurial energy? Click here to find out about future Teenage Markets in Sunderland or if they’re 16+ and want to explore a business idea, the BIC would love to help them so just get in touch.
