On a beautiful early spring day while heading home from school, some 24 years ago, my then 6 year old daughter asked me to buy her a Breyer horse at Toys R Us. I told her I wouldn’t buy her one. But I’d help her earn money so she could buy one herself.
She was all about that. What could she do to earn money? Sweep the kitchen, do the dishes, clean her room, re-roof the house? She was, and is, a go-getter and started rolling up her sleeves. I don’t remember where I got my brilliant idea, but brilliant it was.
When we got home I raided my cupboards for all the flower vases I could find. Then I went outside to our lilac bushes and began cutting flowers. We found some paper and made a big sign. Once we’d set up the card table on the curb she, her older sister, and their friend were in business. “Flowers in a vase, one dollar,” they called out to each car passing by.
After a bit big brother stopped by and as big brothers do, voiced his assessment of the plan. “If you sell $20 worth tonight, I’ll give you $5!” he said and went away laughing his head off.
The neighbors started driving by on their home from work. Who could resist these cute girls selling flowers for $1? Some even gave a healthy tip. In short order the $20 mark had been met, plus some. Once we added in brother’s $5 contribution, there was enough to buy the Breyer horse. And we did.
The business went so well the girls kept it up. We bought every available vase, for a quarter each, from Goodwill. We cut all of the lilacs off our bushes, got lilacs from friends’ yards, and found some in vacant lots. When lilac season ended we moved on to gladiolas and daisies. The town police officer stopped by and bought flowers. The bus driver stopped his bus, got out, and bought flowers. Folks who had bought flowers last week brought back the vases so we could resell them. By the end of that season the girls had made over $200 selling flowers. They did it again the next spring and the next.
Then they were too old to sell flowers on the street corner. But neighbors remembered it for many years. And it all began with Toys R Us.
small happinesses 