This lemonade stand was just opening for its second day of business on the bike path along Webber Parkway. Yesterday, the three cousins took in $18.50.
Pink lemonade was the only offering, but it was cold and not too sweet. Just across the road, an aunt had a garage sale going, so I'd rate the stand's security pretty high.
Of the establishments I've featured, only the one on the Midtown Greenway has shown any staying power. That's okay, of course. Most small businesses don't last, and lemonade stands are merely miniature accelerated versions of entrepreneurial reality, often propped up with a dose of parental subsidy.
Lemonade stands, though, provide important hints about quality of life. They signal the presence of kids in the neighborhood, and of parents who encourage their enterprise. They indicate a certain level of safety, and of the foot and bike traffic that contributes to it. And most of all, they encourage us to slow down, converse with strangers and enjoy simple things.
They remind us that spending does not have to be just a cool transaction with a commercial entity; it can be an affirmation of human relationships.
Larger small businesses do the same.
I am not against corporations or shareholder value, but I prefer my exchanges to be more direct and to stay closer to home.
On a return swing, we ran south of the parkway and stopped for lunch at Steamworks Coffee on 44th and Penn Avenue North. New owners Jeff and Christina Jenkins just took over this month from founders Aaron and Barbara Hardley who restored the building on that corner and helped revitalize the little business district.
In the other half of the building is Sauced, run by John Conklin, formerly of The Sample Room and Mayslack's. Had we realized they were open — and had Surly Bender on tap — we might've stopped in there and missed the nice sandwich and iced latte we enjoyed next door.
We'll be back.
