Entrepreneur At Berlin Farmer's Market Is Just 11-Years-Old

Emily Caracoglia's grandfather always used to tell her and show her his rough and tough hands.

"He used to hold my hand and show me how rough they were and rub them against mine," Emily said. "He told me nothing worked to smooth them out. He tried every kind of lotion but nothing worked."

Caracoglia wanted to help her grandpa and started to look online to see what kind of lotions and products she could make to help him. Her grandmother, Nancy Carlson, decided to help and finance Emily's products.

That was the beginning of Emily's Pampered Products. She has sold the products, which include hand scrubs, lip balm, lotion, candles, necklaces, bracelets, gift baskets, bows and massage pillows, at the Berlin Farmer's Market for the last two Saturdays. The Berlin's Farmers' Market runs from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. each Saturday, weather permitting, at the parking lot of A.S. Labieniec, across from Dairy Queen on Farmington Avenue. 

Oh, and did we tell you, Emily is just 11-years-old. 

"I started making things by looking online to find recipes for each one," Emily said. "When my grandpa told me how amazing the scrubs I made were and how well they worked on his hands, I wanted to do more. My grandmother told me I couldn't just sell one thing so we started working on other things to sell.

"My grandma has financed the operation and, along with my mom, have helped me get the business going. I started just giving my products away as Christmas gifts and everyone loved them. My grandma helped me to figure out what kind of containers we would use and how we would come up with a design for the products." 

In two weeks, Caracoglia, the daughter of Aimy and Marco Caracoglia, said she has been happy with the amount of sales she has made.

"The first week was really good and this past Saturday was OK," said the smily pre-teen. "I hope as the summer goes on that the crowds will get bigger and we'll be able to sell more."

Caracoglia also takes orders online at her e-mail address, emi8181@sbcglobal.net.

"We will be at the Farmers' Market all summer long but people can also order the products by contacting me by e-mail," Emily said. "They can tell us what they want and how much of it and if they are local we'll even deliver it to them.

Caracoglia is a sixth grader at McGee Middle School.