The Dog Days of Summer, Sidewalk Sales, and the Business Genius of Neighborhood Lemonade stands.”
Dear Bank of Prairie Village Community~
Post July 4th celebrations and prior to the back to school rush, are the lazy, hot weather weeks which in Salina we called “The Dog Days of Summer.”
It was the calendar space when the pressures of little league sports were over and before back to school anxiety set in.
In Salina, The Dog Days of Summer were when all the downtown merchants sponsored their annual “Summer Sidewalk Sales.”
Remember, I grew up at the tail end of when a small community’s downtown was the epicenter for the community’s retail shopping. Hence the “downtown sidewalk sales” were really big deals~ at least in my mind.
Basically, all the merchants put out on the sidewalks all their unsold Spring and Summer stock, (and whatever else was unsold in their backrooms) in anticipation of their fall and winter inventories.
The discounts started at 50 percent off. Since retail was a function of many local mom and dad shops~ the array was astounding including the local sporting goods store, record store, toy store, young men’s shop, young ladies shops~ all 7 the men’s stores and all 8 the women fashion stores.
JC Penny’s brought out racks of summer wear, Kresge’s Five & Dime basically put out everything. The two downtown Western Wear stores took over the sidewalks with cowboy belt buckles and boots. In short, the whole downtown seemed like a “a Middle Eastern Bazar Market Place” with tables covered with what seemed like all types of exotic items.
For a barely teenage boy, there was also one other great attraction, The merchants wanted to swiftly move their inventory, and because the store owners or their regular staff wanted to take their summer vacations, ~ I think every middle and high school age girl in town was hired for those two weeks to help run the local store’s various sidewalk sales.
To a bunch of young teenage bike riding boys, what could be better than riding bikes downtown and seeing pretty girls out on the sidewalks manning table offering 50 percent off stuff and authority to cut the price even deeper if necessary.
Naturally, my buddies and I were all over the sidewalk sales. We were always amazed at how tan the girls had gotten over the summer and how we suddenly needed to buy all kinds of stuff just to attract their attention and retail wisdom.
Each Dog Day evening was capped with Chocolate Dipped ice cream cones, at the “Tasty Freeze” ~and of course endless discussions of our day’s shopping sprees ~and which girls were working at which stores.
Perhaps because the days seemed to run over 100 degrees for weeks on end, we all felt justified in enjoying our nightly ice cream treats. For me, other than Family Christmas ~it was the best time of year.
Even today I love the collective calm when the summer sports leagues are over, and half of Kansas City seems to go to the lake or on vacation. Business deals do not seem to have the same urgency, and everything operates at a slower pace under the hot July sun.
Yes, in my mind these are still “The Dog Days of Summer.”
(Although there may still be some same sidewalk sales at various strip shopping centers~ unfortunately they do not match the “Middle Eastern Bazars” scenes of my youth. Perhaps, the merchants better control their inventory, or the shops are neither as plentiful nor unique as in my youth.)
That being said, I still find delight during the Dog Days seeing all the children’s lemonade stands popping up throughout the Prairie Village neighborhoods on hot July afternoons.
During the summer I try to load up on $5 and $2 bills and make a point at stopping lemonade stands. I love the excitement of pulling up and seeing the kids’ delight in the realization they actually have a customer.
Each little lemonade stand is unique as the various children manning it (as is the quality of lemonade.)
That being said, I have noticed what I would view as more or less as the “Lemonade Stand Working Business Model.” Moreover, as I reflect on the model, I am amazed at how the little entrepreneurs seem to self-organize themselves into functional operators.
Let me explain. Most children lemonade stands are manned by three children~ which may or may not be siblings.
Child one, who I view as the “marketing operator” holds up the sign and screams “Ice Cold Lemonade” at passing cars. As the car stops, this little marketer jumps up in down in victory because he or she has accomplished their specific mission of bringing in a potential customer! (I view the marketer as the most carefree and upbeat of the three operators.)
At this point, child two, who I view as the “sales ace”, approaches the car asking if I would want a lemonade. Assuming I want one, he or she will then ask what flavor, whether I want ice, and sometimes tries to up sale, by asking if I would like a cookie for $25 cents more. I always view the “sales ace” as the most self-confident of the three. Having given my order, the “sales ace” runs back to the third child who has remained passive sitting behind the stand eyeing the transaction. I view this child as the “chief operating officer and accountant.” This third child is usually the one that meticulously pours the lemonade from the big jar and carefully fulfills the order. This accountant usually seems the most serious and organized of the threeperson enterprise~ and is usually in charge of the money jar.
Usually but not always the “chief operating officer & accountant” ~ along with the “sales ace” march to my car together to deliver the lemonade order.
Great care is taken not to spill too much from the generally overflowing glass. Once I receive my lemonade, I always over pay giving the “chief operating officer & accountant” both a $5 and a $2-dollar bill ~ while making sure the “sales ace” sees I have given at least two bills.
Sometimes I get a stunned thank you from one or both. Usually, they jump up and down a bit and skip back to the stand to count the money with “sales ace” double counting with “accountant” as to the exact haul.
When they realize it was a big sale, they both usually jump up and down again. Their excitement usually encourages child one, the “marketer” to become excited too resulting in the marketer jumping and yelling even louder at the next car going by.
In short, each child self selects to some degree the best job that matches their skills and temperament. Together and with mutual support they use their collective but distinctive skills to generate a lemonade stand that become a “selling machine.”
They seem to do this without a mission statement, policy manual, human resource department, endless planning meetings or inter office memos. There are no inter department rivalries, information hoarding or commission fights.
Perhaps I love patronizing the neighborhood Prairie Village lemonade stands, because I know I am seeing future entrepreneurs who will keep our community moving forward and ~oh so great.
Perhaps I patronize them, just to remind myself how a small business with a well-integrated team, having unique talents and a focused goal can accomplish great things~ and have a great time while they are doing it.
Yours in taking the time during these Dog Days of Summer to stop at a children’s lemonade stand. You will see how a great small business works!
Our best for this remarkable Summer Season~
