Lessons from a Fruit Punch Stand

Lessons from a Fruit Punch Stand

By Kathy Hendricks

When my granddaughter asked about setting up a lemonade stand with her little brother in front of our house, I was less than enthusiastic. It seemed like more work for my husband, Ron, and me and I braced for an epic disappointment when no customers showed up. Ron dove in, however, and set up signage, chairs, and a table. He then made the first of what turned out to be multiple trips to the grocery store for juice and cups. When no lemonade was available, the children were more than satisfied with fruit punch. They added a bit of hustle to their efforts by calling out “froooot punch” every time a car passed. Much to my surprise, they cleared $68 the first day. Needless to say, they were keen to try again during the next Nana and Papa day. This time my granddaughter sold handmade bracelets and three people bought them. The third time around she added pictures she created by following a point-by-point artist app. Three of those went as well. By the close of their venture, the children made around $125. 

As all of these transactions took place, I sat on the front porch and marveled at the efficiency of both children (ages 7 and 4) in greeting their customers and explaining the pricing ($1 for a full cup of fruit punch/$.50 for half cup. Bracelets and pictures went for $3.) Equally impressive were the people who took time to stop and affirm their efforts. My granddaughter placed a tip jar on the table and it filled quickly. One woman gave them $20 and said she would be back for more juice later in the day – a pay-ahead transaction. When she never showed, it ended up being a nice donation.

Our neighborhood has an interesting mix of economic households. Up a hill and over a bridge spanning the Little Arkansas River is a high-end subdivision with houses priced near $1 million. Across the street is an apartment complex that houses people with much more limited incomes. These were the people who made up the bulk of customers. They not only bought full glasses of punch but left substantial tips. This isn’t a judgment on our more well-off neighbors but an observation about those who have the least amount with which to be generous. Most of all I appreciated their kindness and their interest in two young entrepreneurs.

I had several takeaways from this experience. One was to follow Ron’s lead in entrusting the children with something they were passionate about doing. Another was appreciating my granddaughter’s savvy ways of assessing what might sell. Most importantly, there was the recognition of simple kindness and generosity that takes place in small ways each day. It may sound cliched, but these are the moments that matter and that counter the rather grim picture of society that dominates news cycles. One of the sweetest parts of all of this was the decision by the children to use some of the money to donate to the local humane center. Granted, this was after they used most of it for new toys but their generous gesture warmed my heart. With a few weeks left of summer, I expect the fruit punch stand will set up shop again. This time, I’m all for it.

Response

by Barbara Anne Radtke

Kathy, this story about the fruit punch stand will stick with me for a long time. Did we all have lemonade stands growing up? I surely had one with my neighborhood friends. Even if we all did not turn out to be entrepreneurs, we certainly could count on the experience for learning how to be enterprising – in business, in being a good neighbor, in community organizing, for me, in ministry.

I am always taken by what a younger generation absorbs from society.  Your grandchildren knew how to call attraction to their stand, to have a tip jar, to give back to the community that had supported them.  I love your recognition that your granddaughter was savvy. As they learn, children also critique! I recall a time when one of my nephews was only about 10 years old. His parents went to the local “general” store to buy the Sunday newspapers. They often chatted briefly with the proprietor when paying. One day, my nephew observed to the proprietor that he could sell the newspapers from the front porch. It would eliminate the long lines snaking through the store. The next week the proprietor gave the front porch sales a try and used the strategy all that summer!

Maybe the fruit punch stand – and all the lemonade stands of our youth -- are early experiments in discernment. The late Michael Himes used three questions when he gave talks on career discernment at Boston College:

·       What gives you joy?

·       Are you good at it?

·       Does the world need you to do it?

The Summer of ’25 fruit punch stand clearly elicits a positive response to each query! Dear reader, do you have any lemonade stand lessons to share?