Kid’s Business Fair draws record crowd

The second annual Kid’s Business Fair brought an estimated 200 visitors and shoppers through the doors of Les & Jim’s in Merrill on Saturday, April 12, 2026, roughly double the turnout from last year’s event.
Organizer Laura Bares said the fair featured 21 booths, with most vendors coming from the Merrill area.
“I believe two-thirds were Merrill kids,” Bares said. “The other third were from surrounding communities.”
The variety of goods on offer reflected the creativity of the young entrepreneurs. Vendors sold handmade soaps, baked goods, crocheted items and plushies, chocolate candies, chocolate-covered pretzels, jewelry, earrings, hair accessories, rosaries, artificial flowers, floral arrangements, pens, notebooks, 3D printed items, mystery bags, hand-grown popcorn seeds, popped popcorn, and used books, among other things. Shoppers noted many of the offerings were at hard-to-beat prices.
Bares said pinning down an exact attendance figure was difficult, but the growth from last year was clear.
“I’d guess that 200 people came through,” she said. “It’s so hard to say for sure. I think last year we maybe had 100.”