8-Year-Old Girl’s Lemonade Stand Shut Down by Police Because She Didn’t Have a License

When eight-year-old Asa Baker decided to go set up her very own lemonade stand this month, she never thought the police would stroll up and force her to shut it down.

“It’s fun and you get lots of people,” said Asa, who explained that she lives where a lot of truckers often stop to buy lemonade from her stand, sometimes leaving more than the $1 per glass she charges.

“Especially on a country road, I get a lot of people,” she added.

The aspiring business owner had opened up shop along a street earlier this month, not far from where the Alliance Rib and Food Festival was being held, when it happened.

“I was just selling lemonade at my dad‘s work,” Asa said.

However, when some of the festival vendors lodged a complaint about potentially losing business to a little girl, the police ordered Asa and her mother, Katrina Moore, to shut down the lemonade stand.

“I was having a really fun time and lots of people stopped. He (the police officer) walked out of the car and said I’m sorry, but I got a complaint call, and they have to shut me down. And he shut me down. I didn’t really say too much, but I was really sad and angry that we had to shut down.”

“She was apparently too close to the festival that was going on,” said the girl’s mother Katrina.

According to the police officer, this eight-year-old girl’s lemonade stand was required to have a food permit.

The news about what happened got around rather quickly.

According to the girl’s family, the owner of a nearby store volunteered to assist the young lady in obtaining the required permit and gave her permission to set up in front of his business.

Another kind lady gave the girl a shirt and a brand-new lemonade stand as a donation.

“On the back, it says I run a lemonade stand like a boss,” said Asa.

“I have this little mitten that says ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’,” she added.

Even the officer who shut her down contributed $20 to the cause.

Asa was soon fully back in business.