YARMOUTH — Mia Ginsberg proves that you’re never too young to start pursuing your dreams.
Mia Ginsberg of Yarmouth began making and selling homemade baked goods at age 6. When she was 9, she opened her first neighborhood cupcake stand. Now, at 13, she has her own booth at the Yarmouth Farmers Market. Contributed
Since the age of 6 she’s been making and selling homemade baked goods, first to family, then to neighbors. Now, at 13, she has her own stand at the Yarmouth Farmers Market and can accept individual orders through email or by phone.
Her ultimate goal is to own a bakery.
This is the first summer that Ginsberg has sold her baked goods to the community at large and she hopes her product becomes popular enough that stores will be interested in ordering from her.
Ginsberg is getting support for her entrepreneurial venture from Gabrielle Melchionda, owner of Mad Gabs in Yarmouth, which manufactures and sells natural body care products.
Melchionda first met Ginsberg when she participated in career day at Frank H. Harrison Middle School in May.
Ginsberg is “the real deal,” Melchionda said this week. “She’s focused, determined, smart, competent and really gets it. I cannot wait to see what she does with her life. This is only the beginning.”
Part of what so impressed Melchionda about Ginsberg is that she not only approached her on career day, but followed up with an email, made an appointment and then showed up on time ready to get to work.
“I love mini everything,” Mia Ginsberg said about why her baked goods are all smaller sizes. Contributed
Through her company, Melchionda offers a program called Gabgirls, which provides summer workshops for girls interested in starting their own businesses. A recent session, for instance, focused on branding for girls between 12 and 13.
“We believe in helping support the future girl bosses of tomorrow and know that a little encouragement, learning and opportunity can make a difference,” she said.
Ginsberg first began baking with her two grandmothers, learning from them and then expanding on what they taught her.
Her baked goods are mostly miniature items, because “I love anything mini,” she said.
“When I was about 5, I came up with the name, and I made my first sale, with homemade labels, at age 6 to my grandparents. A few years ago, I turned it into a full-fledged business.”
“My offerings have changed over the years,” Ginsberg said. “I have made many, many baked goods, but originally I only sold cupcakes. Since then, though, I have made and sold mini brownies, cupcakes, cheesecakes, pies, cookies, and cream puffs. Currently, my most fleshed-out and most in-demand item is my mini cheesecakes.”
Mia Ginsberg, left, and a friend, enjoy the success of Ginsberg’s first day selling at the Yarmouth Farmers Market. Contributed
Ginsberg said what she most enjoys about baking is how happy her product makes people.
“This might sound a little cliché, but I love how people can’t help but smile when they eat one of my products,” she said. “It makes me happy to see them happy.”
Another thing Ginsberg likes about baking is that she often does it with other people, which means she gets to spend quality time with those she cares about.
“When I went to my first farmers market, I had help from my mom, grandma, and best friend to bake all the cheesecakes I could in three hours,” she said. “My best friend, Elin, has been an amazing help. She is by far my biggest fan and also helped out with the booth at the market.”
Ginsberg said her maternal grandmother lived on a farm in Kansas and one of the first things she learned from her was how to bake a so-called “wacky cake” from a recipe passed down by Ginsberg’s great-grandmother. “It’s completely vegan, and I have since adapted it for cupcakes, which was my first product,” she said.
Her paternal grandmother lived nearby and Ginsberg remembers “having so much fun baking everything I could imagine.” Her favorites then included both corn and blueberry muffins. What made the blueberry muffins special, she said, is that the family had a summer tradition of picking the fruit together.
While she doesn’t have a physical storefront yet, Ginsberg will accept orders through miasminisbakery@gmail.com or by phone at 239-4092. Ginsberg is out of the country now, but will return to the farmers market in late August. Along with growing and supporting her fledgling business, Ginsberg said she also donates some of her profits to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
In addition to baking, Ginsberg participates in band and chorus in school, where she plays percussion. She’s also a member of the Yarmouth Junior Rowing Team and is learning Taekwondo. In her free time, Ginsberg enjoys reading, learning new languages and swimming off the neighborhood dock.
In running her own business, Ginsberg said she’s already learned the value of good customer service.
“I love interacting with people and engaging in conversation with them. I think that’s a very important thing when dealing with customers. They want to be noticed as a person, not as a wallet.”
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