2. Oliver, 9. (Photo by Melissa Hernandez Canada)
3. Jameson with his stepdad. (Photo by Jenna Dixon)
SOUTHERN MARYLAND — Nothing quite says it’s summer like seeing local kids in your neighborhood outside setting up a lemonade stand. Prices have risen and methods have changed — I paid $5 to a kid with his own QR code this summer — but the tradition of the lemonade stand endures the test of time. This summer, kids set up stands to stave off boredom, to raise money for charity, to learn how to budget and to have fun with their friends.
The lemonade stand itself is wrapped up in some degree of legend. Though street vendors have been selling lemon beverages for hundreds of years, the “lemonade stand” is said to have come from a Dutch-born child in Brooklyn named Edward Bok. Bok allegedly sold ice water to workers for a penny a glass and came up with the idea to add lemon and sugar and triple his prices. He quickly edged out his competition. Bok went on to be the publisher of “Ladies’ Home Journal.”
Bok’s story may or may not be true. His self-made narrative is also self-told, so we can never truly verify how successful he was as a child entrepreneur. Regardless, the myth of the lemonade stand is what kids carry in their change purses as they set up on their first day in the hot sun: maybe, they too can make something special all on their own.
So why are lemonade stands still so appealing to kids today? And why do adults continue to indulge them?
Jenna Dixon of Saint Leonard said her 9-year-old son Jameson has been operating his lemonade stand for four years. Jameson loves running the stand with his stepdad, and each year he picks a goal — this year, he started saving for his first computer. Dixon said they had Jameson “crunch the numbers” on his startup costs and how he could turn a profit, and he makes all his lemonade himself.
“We really try to teach him about business and generally are just big on incorporating life lessons and skills whenever and wherever possible,” Dixon said. She said that her son and husband love working on the stand together — they’re planning to build the computer together once Jameson saves enough, and are eyeing a podcast for the next business opportunity.
Ashlee Rawlings’ 12-year-old daughter Kylee is a fellow seasonal entrepreneur — her stand is in its second year, and she uses her proceeds to help pay for some of her cheer competition costs. Rawlings said Kylee has learned so much from operating her stand. She gains confidence and agency from helping contribute to her competition costs, and the stand is another way she can test her limits and learn what she’s capable of.
Meanwhile, Ryan Coffin’s two daughters, Lillian, 12, and Grace, 10, sold lemonade to contribute to a child in Uganda the family sponsors, named Gloria. Coffin said the girls had about 20 customers and everyone was a “generous tipper.”
Coffin’s daughters sold cookies and sweet tea, too, but the stand was really about the lemonade.
“Lemonade is easy!” he said. “And besides, who doesn’t love a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day?”
Eight-year-old Logan set out to raise money for Wiffle ball uniforms under his older sister’s supervision. Since Logan was under a time crunch, he quickly realized that he’d get more profits by adding extra products. He also observed traffic patterns and adjusted his hours accordingly.
A group of six neighbor girls in Lower Marlboro, ranging in ages 6 to 12, combined forces to raise money for the End Hunger Food Pantry. Kristy Graul, the mother of two of the girls, said she took a hands-off approach and let the girls do everything. She sat in a car nearby to supervise but was proud of how they worked together and their level of customer service.
“It was very well received. There were electrical line workers and tree trimmers working at the time and they were very happy to serve them. The gentlemen were so kind and gave a generous donation to the kids.”
“Our neighborhood is great and our neighbors turned out for the kids. It was awesome to see,” Graul added.
Some kids continue to build upon the entrepreneurial tradition of the lemonade stand and bring their own ideas. Lindsey Young wrote in to say that her 8-year-old son Ryan couldn’t do a stand because they live on a dead end. Instead, he went around to neighbors selling his drawings for $1.25.
Young said she was initially nervous about people being “grouchy” toward her very enthusiastic son, but he was well-received.
“Whenever he sold one he was extremely motivated to keep going and proud of himself,” Young said.
Like Young’s son, some traded the lemonade experience for something more specific to them; some sold homemade bracelets or necklaces, while others sold Pokémon or sports cards. Some kids operated a cash-only business, and others nabbed their parents’ Square for Apple Pay. They made signs, came up with slogans and set their hours. They sat in the hot sun and sometimes didn’t have much to show for it except smiles and a sunburn.
The lemonade stand captures the entrepreneurial spirit that runs deep in all of us. Each kid can showcase their own ideas and take charge. It’s a way to have freedom for a generation whose social networks have always been just a text away. It’s one place where kids can always be kids, where the sun shines, problems are small and anything is possible. There will be lessons learned and lessons taught, but they’re a side note to something more important: accessing the quintessential feeling of being a kid, of being free from responsibility for just a little longer. Asking why the lemonade stand endures is like asking why kids love summer vacation.
It’s because it’s fun.
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