Open For Business

Welcome to the Grand Opening of the C&W.

Last winter or spring, Cole somehow decided he wanted to build a bookstore to sell books that he would write and illustrate himself.  I told him that sounded like a great idea, thinking that by the time summer rolled around, he would forget all about it.  He didn't forget about it, but the idea evolved and changed into something more manageable like a lemonade/farm/baked goods stand.  Wes, Wayne, Cole, and Heather have been working on building it, in dribs and drabs, all summer.

These were the original plans Wayne drew up.  Some changes were made along the way because they were using scrap lumber, but the final product is not too far from the plan.

Earlier this month, giving it a questionable coat of primer.

and paint.

On Friday night, Wes loaded it onto a trailer and hauled it down to the Potato Field entry.  Saturday morning the kids set up shop and waited eagerly for their first customers.  They were selling Wayne's homemade applesauce, chocolate chunk cookies, lemonade, and just because Cole still thinks of it as a "bookstore," some old books that they had all outgrown.  Our garden has produced next to nothing, so no vegetables for now. Later we might have some corn and pumpkins. They hear a car...

It drives by.

It seemed like an eternity to the kids, but after not very long really, their first customer, Ned Andrews stops for some lemonade and cookies.

They say word of mouth is the best advertising.  A few minutes after Ned goes home, Darlene Young (Ned's wife) comes rolling down the hill with her two nieces.  Afterwards, she drove right back up the hill, so I know she made a special trip down to show her support.

Business really started to pick up.  Mr. McNichols from next door stops in on his way back from recycling.  He was our best customer of the day, buying some of everything we had to offer and also leaving a very generous tip!

Some people from NY who were staying at a camp on Daniels Pond bought several things.  They were two older couples and were quite charmed with Heather's beauty.  I think they liked the whole little-kids-out-in-the-country-lemonade-stand kind of thing.

After lunch, we had visits from Becky Koenneke (who the heck knows how to spell that?!) who was working in her greenhouse across the road.  Then her husband Bill K. rode over on his lawn mower for refreshment.  Later their two teenage kids walked over and bought cookies and lemonade.  

During a lull in business, we found 3 Monarch caterpillars on milkweeds on the side of the road.  Wayne and Cole decided to sell them, 25 cents each.  Don Vincent stopped by with a woman who was visiting from CT.  The woman bought a caterpillar, although she was concerned about its survival on the trip back to CT.

Uncle Ricky made an appearance. He was on his way home from mowing at the camp. Soon after he stopped, Ernest and Cecile pulled up. They drank lemonade and chit chatted about school starting and what grades Wayne and Cole would be going into. Ernest wanted to know if their girlfriends had stopped by.  They said they didn't have girlfriends.

Nash Basom and Murial Hess stopped in after having lunch at the Runaway Pond Cafe.

We saw no sign of our neighbor Marvin, but his son Logan roared up on a 4-wheeler and bought some applesauce.

Brian Perron had driven by on Friday evening when Wes was hauling the stand down, and we were getting it set up. He promised to be a customer but must have been busy haying.  Wayne and Cole kept asking all day, "When will Brian come?"  We closed up shop for the day at about 4:00.  Shortly after that, Brian and his wife Julie pull into our dooryard, apologizing for not making it during regular business hours, but wondering if they can buy something that we might still have left. They bought cookies and applesauce, with Julie promising to bring the applesauce container back. How nice of them to make a special stop for the kids.

Many of the people who stopped reminisced about their own children's roadside stands.

All together the kids made $39.75.

When we started on this little venture, I was worried that the kids would be bitterly disappointed with the way things might turn out.  After all, there is not a heck of  a lot of traffic on this ol' road.  I guess I underestimated the kindness and generosity of our neighbors.