Ava Lewis is way beyond her years and is now putting her innate business genius to good use.
With the help of her proactive mom, the 3-year-old Durham, North Carolina, resident has turned a simple lemonade stand into a huge business that is aiding a local shelter for women.
3-year-old Ava Lewis of Durham has a lemonade stand and it’s a hit! She’s gone from selling cups of lemonade to selling gallons. Her goal is to raise money to buy diapers and bottles for babies in need. #ABC11
pic.twitter.com/CIWDu1vuZI— DeJuan Hoggard (@DeJuanABC11) July 31, 2019
Maggie Lewis told ABC11 the endeavor first came about when she decided to begin giving her daughter money. Maggie said she asked her young daughter what she wanted to do with her newfound wealth, and to her surprise, Ava responded she wanted to help pay the gas bill.
Maggie thought it was hilarious, but Ava was serious about doing something real with her money. She eventually decided to create a lemonade stand before business started to boom.
A handy church member built a small wooden stand for Ava. The business immediately turned into a hit after opening outside of Maggie's beauty shop, The Lather Lounge Hair Studio. A small cup is just 50 cents and a large cup is $1.
"One lady jumped out the car and said 'I wanna get some gallons,'" Maggie said to ABC11."I got nervous right away and said, 'Ma'am this is a trial.' One of my nieces said there's no such thing as a trial in Durham. You know everybody is gonna support in the Bull City."
The young entrepreneur is now known locally as "lemonade baby."
Two weeks in and they receive orders for gallons of lemonade. They've also set up a Facebook page and have started receiving CashApp requests from hundreds of miles away.
On Monday, Ava and her family delivered diapers and other goods to the Good Samaritan Inn. Gail Mills, the director of the home which serves about 130 women and children every night, told ABC11 they adored Ava for making the effort.
UPDATE: 3-year-old Ava Lewis of Durham reached her goal and sold enough lemonade to buy diapers and wipes for babies in need. This afternoon, she made a special delivery to the mothers at the Durham Rescue Mission. #ABC11
pic.twitter.com/rdfdC8Dhn4— DeJuan Hoggard (@DeJuanABC11) August 12, 2019
"It just means the world to us to see a young person…that is thinking of others. And is selling her lemonade to have the funds to buy the diapers and the wipes — it just makes my day," Mills said. "Such a heartwarming experience to meet little Ava and to see how her mother is teaching her at such a young age to care for others and to share her blessing with people who are having a hard time."
