The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-11-29
Handsome Profits Of Sidewalk Lensnads
VendOF9,


What has become of all the lemonade
vendors? You could find twenty of them
in the streets eight weeks ago for every
one that can be seen now. In the per-
spring days they used to give the down.
town streets a country fair complexion,
with their little impromptu counters,
tanks of water, bowls of sugar, baskets
of lemons and rows of shining glasses.
Where have they gone to in these cool
er days, when the stomach abhorreth
lem onade?
Some have gone into thepeanut bust
ness, some have resumed their original
profession of backing boots or selling
papers, and some may very possibly
have gone to Europe. One day in the
early part of July the reporter observed
the opening of new lemonade stand in
Nassau street. The owner had an apple
stand near by, and the addition of the
lemonade department was an expert
ment All the stock and fixtures he had
to begin with were comprised in the fol-
lowing schedule:
One dry-goods box for counter.
One sheet brown paper for Appearances.
Three and a half pounds white crushed
Four dozen lemons in another bag.
Three small lthree-cenp glasses.
Threelarge tfive-cenp glasses.
One lemon-squcezer.
One sugar-spOon.
One pail water with ice.
One shaker"
One chair.
One cigar-box for cash-drawer.
One big sun-umbrela.
A month went sizzling by, and the
reporter noted a gradual improvement
in the fixtures and an increase in the
quantity of the vender's stock. The
pail gave place to a water-cOoler, the
crushed sugar took up its temporary
quarters in a commodious tin box, the
lemons and glasses multiplied rapidly.
At certain hours of the day the vender
employed clerk to attend the apple
stand-a newsboy whose education and
trousers had been neglected, but whose
integrity was not to be questioned.
When the reporter stopped for his daily
Give cent) nip he felt latent satisfac-
ton in knowing that he had helped to
build up this prosperous establishment.
He had done part of the plumbing work,
so to speak-that is, the draining. One
afternoon he asked the proprietor how
iustuy SldSStS Hc udu SOlu Oiut udy.
"Three hundred" said he, ''up to
now. Yesterday sold four hundred,
but then yesterday was a terribly hot
day."
"How many do you sell on the aver
ageP"
81 guess about three hundred"
"How many large glasses in the three
hundred?"
about two-thirds."
The reporter strolled along thought
fully until he came to quiet doorway,
when he took out pencil and paper and
began to compute.
200 glasses at cents. observation-disclosures 90
100 glasses at 3 cents. Observation-Disclosures. 800
Gross receipts. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS %
l5O lemons, say. ...................$l 5O
! pounds sugar. 81
10 pounds ice. ..................... 10 l SO
Net receipts per day .........Sl 81 o.
That is pretty stiff profit on bust
ness which can be carried on with less
than five dollars capital. 1t is larger
income in day than the clerk who
sells the sugar or the lemons, or the
man who delivers the ice. or many of
those who drink the lemonade, receive
in a week. No wonder that the lemon
ade business has increased SO rapidly in
the last few years. and no wonder that
there was one stand to almost every
downtown block in the hot season Just
past. Why should John, James or
Jerry sell papers or black boots or run
errands for a living with such an OPP
portunity for Independence and profit
before him as thisp
Lemonade is good thing. In hot
weather it is recommended by the ply
stefan, and the teetotaler approves oft
at all seasons. The lemonade which
one buys at bar is apt to be made with
bottled lemon juice-a preparation
which thirsty men suspect is not equal
to the juice that they themselves see
squeezed out of a lemon. More
over, at the average bar he has to
he can buy on the sidewalk for five.
The spirit of mortal may be proud, but
if man can guench his thirst for five
cents on the sidewalk with as palatable
a drink rs he can get for double the
price in the gilded saloon his pride is a
long way ahead of his common sense if
he does not do it. Only one thing
threatens the future prosperity of the
lemonade business, and that is over
competition. 1t is not at all certain
after he has read these figures that
some Wall street Spectator who is not
above making money in small but safe
way may 90 into the business extensively
and overdo it. Should that ever hap
pen you may look for deterioration in
your lemonade, for such a seller would
never be satisfied with profit of five
hundred per cent. when he could make
six hundred. John and James and
Jerry will now give you an honest
drink-the best they can make-and
put in an extra spoonful of sugar or an
other squeeze of the lemon if you want
it, However, they have not yet reached
that eminence in business from which
they can afford to ''curse the public"
N Y. Herald