As far as the puppets go try contacting some local church and youth group ministers/leaders and see if they already use puppets. They may not know you can supply them. If not you can suggest they think about it and they ask their workers if they might consider it. Great object lessons can be told through puppets. Plus some kids like to write stories that can be used by puppeteers. You could use that as a selling point to get youth groups to start puppeteering. As an added bonus you can sell books on puppeteering and puppet skits.

My wife uses puppets at our church and the kids not only love the shows they love doing the shows themselves. She buys puppets online but is always worried that they will not meet her requirements. I know she would love to be able to purchase them in a brick and mortar store.