King Street Center's lemonade stand moves to new location in Burlington: Here's why

The King Street Lemonade Stand has moved to Echo, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, after a 23-year-run serving lemonade and limeade on Church Street.

The lemonade stand had its first day of business at Echo on Tuesday, June 25. Kate Vetter, King Street Center's communications director, said Thursday the stand got off to a good start in its new location.

"It went great, the sun was shining," Vetter said. "Yesterday was a little busier than the day before, which really helped."

Lemonade Stand's primary purpose is to teach job skills

The lemonade stand's primary purpose is to give job experience to middle schoolers served by the King Street Center.

"They learn some financial literacy, open up their first bank account, learn how to save money, then go through some professional development − what it means to have a job, showing up on time, having your uniform ready," Vetter said.

Once students reach high school, they can work as managers at the lemonade stand. The Echo Center describes the stand as the "cornerstone" of its teen programming.

"More than building job skills, the stand has connected over 300 Burlington youth to the community and to each other − serving as a catalyst for future opportunities that have led to many successful careers in finance, culinary arts, social work and more," the Center said in a statement. "This type of high-quality prevention programming has been crticial to Burlington's most vulnerable youth population, providing stipends so they can learn while earning money during a time when school is not in session and risk is at its peak."

King Street Center Lemonade Stand started on the waterfront, and is returning there

King Street Center bought the lemonade stand in 1997 from the owner of "Kid's Lemonade," a program that donated the majority of its profits to local youth organizations. That summer, 10 teens sold lemonade at the small wood-framed stand near Waterfront Park. Four years later, the stand celebrated its grand opening on Church Street Marketplace, which donated a prime location for the next 23 years at no cost.

"We are so grateful to the Church Street Marketplace for lending us one of the best spots in the city to serve our community," Shabnam Nolan, King Street Center's executive director, said in a statement. "With our new strategic plan focused on deepening connections with families and community partners, moving the Lemonade Stand to Echo, who has a longstanding history of serving children and families in Burlington, is an exciting opportunity for us."

Vetter said Thursday the logistics of being at Echo are also easier than being on Church Street.

"Our stand is heavy and big, storing it was becoming more of a challenge, every year pushing it uphill," she said.

Move to Echo provides better logistics for lemonade stand

The sometimes difficult conditions on Church Street, which have led businesses on the street to complain about crime and drug use, also was a factor in the move, according to Vetter.

"Certainly (the move) is not absent of those concerns, but ultimately it is a closer walk (to Echo) for us and an all-around better fit," Vetter said.

She said Echo is providing the stand with ice and water, eliminating the need to shuttle back to King Street for those essential ingredients when the stand was on Church Street, leaving it down a person or two.

"King Street Center's work is invaluable to the City of Burlington," Ted Lawson, Echo's executive director, said in a statement. "We're proud to support this opportunity for young people in our community to learn important job skills."

The King Street Center Lemonade Stand is open Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., every week through August.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: King Street Center lemonade stand leaves Church Street for waterfront