It's a crafters paradise and also an excellent starting point for a young entrepreneur - or two.
Moose Jaw's Jordan and Megan Nicholson manned just one of the 177 booths set up at this year's Sunflower Arts and Crafts Show and their unique display didn't fail to capture the attention of those in attendance at the 33rd annual event.
Both currently in school, the pair decided to get creative to boost their college funds.
After learning about a unique lighting idea on Youtube, the brother and sister team went into action.
"We started out about three months ago and basically what we're doing is raising money for college."
At the same time they're providing an eye-catching, functional product.
Jordan says the pair orders special kits online.
"They look like puzzle pieces... we clip them together in different ways to make all kinds of styles and shapes..."
Lighting is then added to the colorful lamps and voila the Nicholsons have a show ready product that's been selling well. Prior to Sunflower they attended two other crafting shows and met with great success.
Megan says initially they intended to sell 'ready to assemble' lamp packages however when they saw how difficult it was to create their first lamp, they thought it would be better to offer everything assembled and ready to hang up.
While they've gotten their assembly time down to about five minutes they say, "people would just get frustrated and likely give up."
That said, Jordan and Megan are getting better at the task. They started out with just one design and now with time and plenty of creativity they've branched out into a wide array of lamp styles.
"We've made pillars, stand up lamps, table lamps, little decorative lamps you can hang from your ceiling..." You name it and they can make it.
While the young entrepreneurs are new to the lamp business they're old hands at crafters markets. The children of the owners of the Chocolate Moose Fudge Factory based out of Moose Jaw, the pair have been helping out 'mom and dad' at shows for the past 15 years.
This year instead of helping at the chocolate booth, they opened their own display.
Looking on from their own booth, their parents couldn't be more proud.
And what parent wouldn't be? They're successfully managing a business and they have plans in place for their future.
While the pair has the mind set of entrepreneurs, they also have big goals once they finish high school. Megan says she's going into paleontology and Jordan plans to become an orthodontist. Whatever the case, there are bright futures ahead for this dynamic duo.
If you missed out on seeing Jordan and Megan at this year's Sunflower event you can still get a hold of their product by visiting: www.fudgefix.com or by emailing: [email protected].
