Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 12 A U G U S TA / WAT E R V I L L E / C E N T R A L M A I N E I n downtown Farmington, a group of youth is busy running a gift shop full of bright, colorful items. But they're not just clerks hired to run the cash register and stock shelves. At the nonprofit Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, they're hired as interns to learn business, communication and customer service skills, such as end-of-day reporting, selecting product lines, issu- ing purchase orders and placing orders with manu- facturers and sales representatives. e store includes a connected maker space, where youth can design and produce their own goods and services in an environment of entrepre- neurial education and support in areas like market- ing, finance, legal and specialty skills. "CES emphasizes entrepreneurship because it's important for youth to understand what it takes to operate a business," says Bonita Tompkins, the center's founder and executive director. "While some may realize they aren't ready to become entrepreneurs right away, the experience provides them with valu- able skills and a deeper appreciation for the demands of running a business." She adds, "is foundational knowledge could lead them to start their own businesses later in life, as it did for me in my career." Store and maker space Tompkins is a former teacher, with a focus on busi- ness and entrepreneurship, at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. In 2018, Tompkins and some of her students piloted a project to assist students with accessing internships and entrepreneurial opportunities. e group developed the idea by incorporating CES as a nonprofit entrepreneurial studies pro- gram for youth and young adults, who are called "Changemakers." CES has seven employees, including Tompkins, and works with youth age 10 to 24. Young people largely become involved through word-of-mouth. At any given time, there are on average 15 partici- pants, with 98 in all since 2020, when CES opened the 3,000-square-foot storefront and maker space at 156 Main St. for youth to create and sell goods and develop workforce skills. e maker space has tools such as computers, printers, hand tools, a laser printer, a 3D printer and a "smart" cutting machine for participants to make gift items. Students have access to bar-coding equipment to make stock keeping units, or SKUs, for their prod- ucts and worksheets to complete purchase orders when they enter inventory into the point-of-sale system. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D F O C U S P H O T O S / C O U R T E S Y C E N T E R F O R E N T R E P R E N E U R I A L S T U D I E S The maker space has computers, printers, hand tools, a laser printer, a 3D printer and a "smart" cutting machine for participants to make gift items to sell in the store. CES participants receive and process wholesale products for the downtown store. The center's Making Home Possible project was a collaboration with Maine Cabin Masters to build a tiny home for homeless youth, in a shell provided by OpBox. CES emphasizes entrepreneurship because it's important for youth to understand what it takes to operate a business. — Bonita Tompkins Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Founder Bonita Tompkins watches Rosie King work with a bead spinner at the nonprofit Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in Farmington. A Farmington program for youth-run startups plans campus expansion B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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