The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12
LEMONADE ROOM UPTOWN.
West Side Boys Are Opening Sidewalk
Stands and Are Cutting Rates.

Since vacation began small boys on the
upper West Side have gone extensively into
the b siness Of establishing curbstone
lemonade stands.
The boys of Lenox avenue have been
particularly affected by the notion and the
avenue from l25th stree north has at least
one lemonad stand to every block.
One of the establishments consists of
pail Of lemonade, W glasses and two
soap boxes--one of which supports he
pail and glasses and the other the pro-
prietor No signs are necessary, for the
owner announces his goods with all the
strenuous persistency of a secondhand
cloth dealer.
When the campaign first opened week
ago the ruling price was two cents glass,
but strong competition has cut 1t in two.
At most of the stands customer can, by
paying nickel in advance, drink all he
wants to and this bargain price oppor-
tunity has proved the undoing OF more than
one small boy.
The glasses are the ordinary table kind,
and are filled about two-thirds full. The
privilege of drinking all one wants to for
five cents is strong inducement and a
large proportion Of the customers drink
on the American rather than the European
plan. Seven and eight glasses are often
surrounded by these patrons, and one lad
got away with twelve last Tuesday, but he
is still confined to the house
When the five-cent offer was introduced
there were many disputes as to whether
| the purchaser could take his time In drink
| ing and whether he could walk up and down
! the block There is no time limit placed
| now on the performance, but all the dealers
| insist that the customer must stand in one
place.
The owner OF one stand makes circle on
f, the sidewalk with chalk and insists that
his five-cent customers must stand inside
| ii while drinking. 1t is about the size Of a
wsshtub, and II its boundaries are over
| stepred all bets are off; but the dealer
| keeps the nickel. The inability of the
averrg e boy to stend long in one place
naturally aids the purveyor Of lemonade.
| Nest of the customers are boys, Many
workmen patronize the stands, but they do
not belong to the fve-cent clientele.
1t is asserted that there is no profit in the
five-cent offer. One dealer said that Is
cents worth Of lemons made about thirty
five glasses of lemonade, requiring about
10 cents worth OF sugar ana three cents
worth Of ice. According to this, there is a
profit Of only about 20 per cent. on glass.
but he did not mention the fact that as fast
as the ice melts it is replaced, and that con.
seauently forty-ivc or fifty glasses Of
lemonade con be obtained from pail that
originally contRined a little more than
tw0-thirls rs many glasses
On account of this adding. OF ice wise
customers greet the advent OF fresh pail
Of lemcnade witn as much joy rs beer
drinking customers Of saloon show over
the tapping Of a fresh keg
Many Of these young lemonade merchants
produce their wares at small expense.
They buy lemons for 10 cents dozen from
the Italians who go from saloon to saloon
selling them from cotton bags. They
raid ice wagons for ice and the family
pantry Yields the sugar
Most of the stands have bankers. They
are paid in lemonade.