KID TO KNOW: Harper Weiss

Since 2021, Harper & Skyler’s Toys & Sweets has been Charlotte’s go-to for treats, candy boards, toys, and personalized accessories. If you’re a frequent customer, you might recognize 11-year-old Harper Weiss, who often helps out behind the counter. Her dad, Dan Weiss, opened the popular spot in Park Road Shopping Center after their family moved here from New Jersey four years ago. “Harper comes in a lot after school around the holidays, when it’s busy,” Dan says. “She’s good at the counter, she helps people, gives them recommendations, and she’s a very good gift wrapper.”

Now, the rising 7th grader and aspiring entrepreneur is rolling out a new venture: Harper’s Candy Shop. It’s an online marketplace for customers to create custom candy blends—like Whatnot for candy. The pick-n-mix approach lets people select their preferred size and handpick from more than 70 sweet and sour candies. “My Dad and I watched TikToks and saw people doing it and thought, Why don’t we do this together?” Harper says. 

Dan paired up with a friend and led a business course for five kids in their neighborhood. “We’d work on marketing plans, mission statements, and make posters with pricing,” he says. “It was a one-and-a-half-hour seminar each week, and everybody had their own business.” 

In June, Harper made 100 bags of candy and went door-to-door, dropping them off with neighbors to get their feedback. (Spoiler alert: The idea was a hit.) Last week, they rolled out a new website where customers can order premade boxes, party platters, and Pink-N-Mix selections ranging from half pound bags to 5-pound jars. 

The best part? Harper and Dan will prepare each order live on TikTok. “We’ll probably do it two to three nights a week for a few hours,” Dan says. “Customers can pick up their orders in store or have them shipped. The goal is to get it done, from order to shipping time, in 48 hours.”

Harper, who plays softball during the school year, will be busy. But she’s not worried about finding time for her business venture. “(My dad and I) are the night owls in our house,” she says, “so we’ll do the video thing at night, when my mom and brother and the puppy are sleeping.”