NILES — Set up in Center Court at Eastwood Mall, Weston Hall, 13, had a direct question for any patron walking by a table full of his merchandise.

“Excuse me, would you like to buy a candle?”

Hall was one of several “young entrepreneurs” who set up shop in the mall as part of Youth Market Day, an event presented through a partnership between the mall and Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio. The market occurred Saturday afternoon, during the mall’s Family Fun Day.

After selling a linen-scented candle for $5, Hall said the experience has been exciting.

“It’s been a little bit stressful, but mostly fun,” he said.

The name of Hall’s business is Sparky and he said its slogan is, “Let your light shine.”

The young entrepreneurs at the event were responsible for their table setup, signage, product sales and interactions with customers, according to a news release.

Michele Merkel, president of Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio, said Youth Market Day was the culmination of a lot of work by the kids.

“Prior to doing this event, we do a workshop for the students, though it’s not required for them to participate,” Merkel said. “We have a program called JA (Junior Achievement) Start my Business Activity Workbook. It walks them through the steps of starting a business, if they have an interest. Then, we give them a follow-up opportunity to set up a booth and sell their products once they have their idea.”

Candles were one of several products on display.

Joshua Peffer, 15, and his sister Bethany, 11, of Girard, were selling Lego-inspired gifts with their business, Lego Lingo.

“A couple years ago we started with gluten-free treats,” Joshua said. “Then, last year, we kind of switched because we weren’t doing too well. We always had a lot of products left over. This year, we totally switched over to doing Lego products.”

Some of the items for sale at the Peffers’ booth included keychains, straws and pens.

“It’s really a learning experience,” Joshua said. “You get to sell what you’re passionate about and enjoy. Then you’re also learning business skills and entrepreneurship.”

Seven-year-old Zaidyn Johnson, of Youngstown, also had a booth at the event. He was accompanied by his mother, Marzina Yates. Johnson sold his own artwork — pictures he drew and colored of Sonic the Hedgehog. He said he has been drawing pictures of Sonic since he was 4.

Yates said her son sold nearly all the merchandise he brought to the event.

“It’s been pretty awesome,” Yates said. “We came here and the tables were already set up, which was convenient. We just made sure we had enough art, and so far we’ve sold pretty much all of it.”

Three awards were distributed during the event.

Johnson won the people’s choice award for his hand-drawn art; Piper Feathers from Unicards won the most creative award; Kellan Shipman from Kellan’s Kreations won the most original award.

Youth Market Day was free for the participating students due to grants from the Cafaro Foundation and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Joanna Feathers, learning experience manager with Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio, said the event provided the students an opportunity to get genuine opinions on their products.

“The feedback is very positive,” she said. “It’s just an opportunity for them to kind of develop their product. Sometimes they come and try to sell something and say, ‘Oh, I need to adjust.'”