12-18-24 50 Cal Coffee Gingerbread and Entrepreneurs

.50 Cal Coffee’s Gingerbread Walk contest and Children’s Entrepreneurs Market great success

These gingerbread houses displayed at .50 Call Coffee & Desserts are just a small portion of more than 30 entrants competing for cash prizes. -SVT Photos by Tami Stevenson

The Children’s Entrepreneurs Market was well attended. -SVT Photo

More photos below...

By Tami Stevenson

The Children’s Entrepreneurs Market and Gingerbread Walk contest, sponsored by .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts was a great success. They had more than 30 handmade gingerbread houses entered in the contest and displayed them at local businesses up and down Howard Street in Live Oak.

The goal of the Children’s Entrepreneurs Market was to support young business owners and help boost their business within the community and make some extra money for Christmas.

They set up their handmade treasures on the sidewalk along the front of .50 Cal and adjacent storefronts.
The kids were afforded the opportunity to get that hands-on experience of being their own boss for a day and interact with customers asking questions about their products.

Businesses that displayed the gingerbread houses included Live Oak Jewelry, Seaman’s Aqua Clean, Live Oak Antique Mall, Faye’s Flowers, Inside Out Nutrition, Kraves Boutique and .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts.

Felix and Tammy Menjivar, .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts owners, have a heart for kids. When they lived in Oregon, she ran a non-profit Christian Kids News magazine for over 25 years, written by children.

While she no longer publishes the magazine, she is passionate about promoting young entrepreneurs and brought that zeal with her to Live Oak.

She also held Gingerbread contests in Oregon and was glad that .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts was able to sponsor the event in Live Oak as well this year.

The Gingerbread Walk contest offered cash prizes, each with four categories: Adult, Teen, Pre-Teen and Child. 1st place winners each received $50, 2nd place winners $25 and 3rd place winners $20, with an overall Grand Prize of $100.

“.50 Cal Coffee & Desserts would like to thank all of the businesses that participated in the gingerbread walk. We had over 30 gingerbread houses,” said Tammy Menjivar, “It turned out amazing!”

Young entrepreneur Colin Flint, 15, from Jacksonville, was selling charcuterie boards made from camphor wood with a beeswax finish. His grandfather owns a sawmill in Wellborn, called StrengthofthePast.com. Colin Flint said he finds the wood he thinks will be good for charcuterie boards and his grandfather cuts it for him. “We also make tables, shelves, everything,” said Flint, who works with his grandfather at the sawmill. -SVT Photo

Marley Hogue, 15, from O’Brian, was selling handmade hair clips and bracelets she created from epoxy resin.

Sarah Rodgers, of Live Oak, selling her wonderful hand sewn leather bags. -SVT Photo

Ten-year-old Noah Fuller, of Live Oak, was selling handmade swords and knives he made out of
wood. -SVT Photo

Heather Teems with daughter Grace Railey, 11, helping her mother.

Live Oak Jewelry had seven gingerbread houses on display in their front window as part of the Gingerbread Walk contest. The jewelry store is celebrating their 77th Christmas this year. -SVT Photo