Applause in triplicate is due to Richard Chaing, organizer of the first Downtown Suffolk Expo held Saturday, and all of the event’s volunteers and participants.

The expo was really three expos in one. It had a business-to-consumer expo for local small businesses owned by adults, and the Suffolk Humane Society showed off its adoptable animals and provided information on adoption and other resources.

Supporting local small businesses and the adoption of animals are great causes, and they are causes everybody can get behind. But it was the third mini-expo that was the highlight of the event.

More than a dozen “kidpreneurs” — minors who run their own businesses — were in the spotlight at the inaugural event. They got the chance to meet with customers, network with other young people like themselves, and get advice from established, grown-up business owners. They also got to win awards and prize money for highest business potential, best sales and marketing presentation, most original business idea and most-liked vendor.

Everything from baked goods and lemonade to blow dart guns and handmade cards was on display by the kidpreneurs, and they were grateful for the guidance they had gotten from their adult counterparts.

“There’s a lot of people that seem very happy with the product,” said 15-year-old Kerith Swineford, who runs The Bookworm Cards and makes handmade cards and bookmarks. “I’m just very happy with how they’re (reacting). They’re helpful to me. A lot of people have been helping me out, telling me hints and tips for journeying on, in case I want to do more.”

This event came into being through the initiative of Richard Chaing, an innovative businessman himself who has made an investment in the heart of downtown Suffolk with the Suffolk Executive Offices. We extend gratefulness to him and look forward to more events like this one.