DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival is being held in February in Dunedin. While the festival is focused on being an eco-friendly event, it’s also becoming the place for young entrepreneurs to get their start in the business world.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival will be held on Feb. 17 at Edgewater Park in Dunedin 

  • Organizers are looking for student entrepreneurs to feature in the festival's market

  • The festival is an eco-friendly event, and will also include land and water cleanups

One Dunedin high school student, Ceara Riling, launched her business there one year ago, and she says the festival is a great place for young entrepreneurs to start their business.

Ceara took the saying about choosing a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life to heart. “I’m doing natural henna body art. This ancient art form has been around for over 5,000 years and it’s used a lot for different celebrations and weddings,” she said as she carefully painted the henna paste on her mom’s hand.

Sunset Henna is Ceara’s business. She started it last year at the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival, which features a market made up of student entrepreneurs.

“Back in 2022 in February, I had broken my leg and decided to start a business because I had so much time and it was just a really meditative practice, and I love doing it, and offering it to people,” she said.

Ceara’s mom, Angelique Riling, taught her how to do henna seven years ago, when Ceara was just a little girl.

“I learned how to do henna in Austin, Texas from a henna artist out there and she really emphasized how important it is for women to have henna as a way to build community and build a bond with other women, so I thought that was really important to pass that on to my kids and now, we’re passing it on to the community, which is really fun,” said Riling, who is also the Blue Green Connections Youth Leader.

Riling is responsible for developing the student entrepreneur market every year at the Hope Spot Festival. “It really empowers the students to see that they can be a part of the community and be part of a business, and it really gives them an opportunity to learn about different aspects of the business and how to talk to people, it gives them confidence, which I think is really a fun thing to see,” she said.

Since starting Sunset Henna, Ceara says she’s learned a lot about owning a business, and while her passion is art, being an entrepreneur has shown her how she can turn her passion into profit.

“It’s really important to get to know your community and find the support. I’ve met so many different business owners who’ve really helped guide me, so networking has been really great,” said Ceara.

When she’s not being homeschooled, or attending her dual enrollment classes at SPC, you’ll find Ceara at your local market, creating beautiful designs used to celebrate joyous occasions, sharing her love for art with her community. 

As part of the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival, there will also be environmental cleanups on the water and land. It will be held on Feb. 17 at Edgewater Park in Dunedin. Organizers are still looking for more student entrepreneurs for the market and student talent to perform at the festival.