During last week’s Youth Entrepreneur Night, Charlotte Kalkwarf, owner of Twinkle Toe Designs, was selling handmade bracelets and bag charms downtown. The money she makes from this is for a trip to New York City with The Dance Connection competition team.

The Youth Entrepreneur Night was a special feature of Webster City Market Nights, a project coordinated by the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce. This exposure gives children and teens the chance to run their own booths, sell handmade goods, and gain real-world experience in business and customer service. The event encourages young creators to showcase their talents while gaining skills like pricing, marketing and money management in a supportive community setting.

Kalkwarf is also learning how to earn the money needed to do special activities. She is one of 40 other youth who will perform on a Broadway stage and in Times Square with dancers from across the country. They will also attend a Rockettes performance and have the remarkable experience to take a dance class taught by a Rockette.

“It’s a special opportunity, especially being in small-town Iowa, to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to New York City. Hey, I’m dancing in Times Square. I’m dancing on a Broadway stage, and I get to take a class from a Rockette and get to see the Rockettes,'” Becky Lubbers, owner of The Dance Connection and organizer of the trip, said.

Every purchase during Market Nights will help fund Charlotte’s upcoming visit to New York City.

The idea for her business began about three years ago with a simple Christmas gift.

“My uncle gave me a bracelet kit at Christmas,” Charlotte said. “Then we just started making bracelets.”

With help from her mom, Charlotte strings colorful beads together by hand before tying each bracelet. The bracelets sell for $5, while bag charms are available for $8.

Lubbers emphasized that The Dance Connection receives none of the money raised by dancers.

All proceeds from her bracelet and bag charm sales go directly toward her trip to New York City.

Among the bustling vendors and live music at Market Nights, Twinkle Toe Designs booth is a colorful window into the imagination and determination of Webster City’s youngest entrepreneurs.

What began with a simple bracelet kit has grown into a heartfelt fundraiser, proving that even the smallest beginnings can lead to extraordinary dreams.

Her story is just one example of how Market Nights continues to provide a place where entrepreneurs of all ages can share their talents while working toward their goals.

Look for the Twinkle Toe Design booth in the upcoming Market Nights each Thursday and help support her trip and her dream.