Lemonade Anyone?

Peanuts, the now classic comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, introduced me to the lemonade stand.

As an inquisitive child, I often wondered why anyone would buy homemade lemonade from kids. For one, in the province where I grew up, lemon trees didn’t exist. For another, we drank calamansi juice, which every home could easily prepare—and free, definitely not sold for a steep price of 2 cents (or 4 centavos in the Philippines, when the exchange rate was 2 pesos to a dollar).

In my readings while growing up, I learned that the lemonade stand is used in America as a symbol of capitalism —youthful entrepreneurship in particular. Its origin goes back to 130 years, when a New York youngster sold it to thirsty street car riders.

This scene has been reenacted in kiddie comic strips and political cartoons. 

I saw it personally reenacted recently by my grandson, Adrian. The village where he lives had a two-day garage sale. The gate was opened to outsiders who might want to purchase used items at giveaway prices. Adrian had the idea that buyers would be thirsty and lemonade would solve the problem.

But because of inflation over the years, Adrian’s lemonade cost one dollar a glass! That would be 54.14 pesos in the Philippines—over 500% increase from Lucy’s lemonade price.

As an entrepreneur, he decided on advertising. He made directional signs with balloons on both sides of the block where his stand was. He also “hired” an assistant, Angkong Tony. As a come-on, he would wave at cars passing by.

His brand of marketing worked. Buyers stopped and bought glasses of Adrian’s lemonade.

Fascinated no end, I took shots of him and his hired hand, his first dollar, his posters and directional sign.

It was capitalism at its best; or in my book, grace@work.