Two days ago, my wife and I were taking a walk in our neighborhood when we saw the above sign hanging on a street post. For those that can’t read young girl, it says, “Presley’s and Maddy’s Rubberband Braclet and more! Tueday’s 2:30 – 4:30. Sundays at 1:00 – 3:00”
A couple things stood out to me—a mature, savvy adult business owner.
- It looks like the original time of Sunday’s from 1:00 – 3:00 wasn’t good enough. To maximize their profits, it looks like they added the prime sale time of Tuesdays at 2:30 – 4:30 just to sweeten things up.
- It looks like this was Presley’s idea at first and then her friend, or more likely, her little sister wanted to get in on the action, so they squeezed Maddy’s name into second billing.
- They are selling the benefits of their product by adding the abundance of hearts, rainbow, and smiley faces to let you know what your world will feel like with one of their rubberbands, braclets, or more.
The Gift of Being Childlike
This sign made my day. The innocence of children who get an idea and then, without any thought or hesitations, reach for the markers and paper and make a sign. After all, if they love their rubberbands and braclets, why wouldn’t the rest of the world.
These young girls know what works for them—Tuesdays from 2:30 – 4:30. Obviously, it will work for the rest of the world. They aren’t worried about what other people think or what works for everyone else.
This, and several other signs in the neighborhood, were made with care and intention. Look at the decoration in Presley’s name. Look at the precision she took to make her hearts just right. There is a lot of thought and love put into this sign (I suspect Maddy added in the colorful scribbles, but that’s okay).
Rubberband Sales and Lemonade Stands
I’ve made it a practice to stop at every lemonade stand and rickety card table some group of neighborhood kids put out on a street corner, hawking their wares to unsuspecting strangers. I love to hear their stories. I love to hear their sales pitch. I love to banter and barter and make them work for their $.50 cents.
I don’t always love the lemonade. (And I don’t usually drink it).
My favorite stand was the slightly “odd” colored beverage a pile of kids were selling about a year ago. After paying my dollar for two “lemonades”, one for me and one for the lady, the kids grabbed used water bottles out of a recycling bag, filled them up to the top, forgot the lids, and smiled their great big smiles at us. We walked back to our car and, while setting the bottle in the cup holder, realized our hands were extremely sticky, not from the lemonade, but from who-knows-what-was-in-the-bottom-of-that-bag schmutz.
Will this stop me from buying lemonade again. Hardly.
I am a little bummed, though.
We came across the rubberband and braclet sale too late. You bet my wife and I would have taken the walk to get us some fine rubberband braclets. After all, who doesn’t want their life to be filled with hearts and rainbows.