November 16, 2006

Youthful entrepreneurs hope to take holiday shoppers by storm

When six 17-year-old senior Girl Scouts from Almaden’s Troop 1342 were trying to come up with a project for their Gold Award (similar to the Boy Scout’s Eagle Scout project), they discovered that the items they were designing were marketable, so in the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley, they decided to start their own business: “Bazaar Contrast” by MCM.

This group of local high school seniors have designed and created a wide variety of items from clothing, jewelry, arm-warmers, belts, bags etc., to home decor items. They worked hard to become more proficient at sewing, knitting, creating their own patterns, and fabric dyeing techniques, according to their troop leader, Marjorie Coakley.

Although this is the first Girl Scout Troop to start a business, they unfortunately cannot receive public support from the organization. So the girls are determined to go it alone. They registered their own domain name, applied for a seller's permit, and are currently working on a Web site.

The launch of "Bazaar Contrast” by MCM will be at the Holy Family Holiday Boutique. The boutique is being held at Holy Family Ed. Center, 4848 Pearl Avenue, in San Jose on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.