Cold Spring kids sell bath bombs at growing business fair

Bath bombs were one of the sleekest signs that Cold Spring’s Kids’ Business Fair had grown beyond a table of homemade trinkets. On June 6, the fourth fair filled the St. Mary’s Church lawn with 78 kid-run businesses operated by 110 young entrepreneurs, and the lineup stretched from refreshments and onsite jewelry cleaning to homemade cleaning products, magic wands, eggshell supplements for animals and bath bombs.

In that crowd, bath bombs made sense immediately. They are colorful, giftable and easy to show off in a few seconds, which matters in a market where young sellers have to win attention fast. They also fit the fair’s mix of practical and playful goods, giving kids a product that looked polished enough for neighbors, family members and anyone shopping for a small present.

That is part of why bath bombs keep showing up as a first business for young makers. Shopify describes them as a low-risk, low-startup-cost product that can be made at home with no machinery, then customized by color, scent and shape. One guide puts the cost at about $1 per bath bomb to make, with a selling price of roughly $5 to $10, a spread that makes the math legible for a new seller learning what pricing feels like in real time.

The fair itself is also moving fast. Last year’s Cold Spring Kid’s Business Fair had 32 registered businesses representing about 70 entrepreneurs, a sharp jump from a single Saturday on the church lawn to a crowded local showcase. Organizer Julie Arora said she hoped to reach 100 booths next year and eventually hold two fairs, and she said support from the Haldane and Garrison school districts helped spread the word. She also planned a Young Entrepreneurs Club with mentoring from Philipstown business owners.

That growth gives even a small bath bomb display a bigger meaning. SCORE says the number of young entrepreneurs is rising and more visible than ever, and Cold Spring made that easy to see in one place: a lawn full of kids trying out names, packaging, prices and customer conversation before the day was over. In a fair that large, bath bombs were not just a cute craft. They were a clean, fragrant entry point into the basics of selling, and they fit the moment almost as neatly as a ribbon around a gift box.