How to Set Up A Lemonade Stand

With summer in full swing, setting up a lemonade stand seems like one of those rights of passage that so many kids want to experience. And my idea for a modern twist on the classic is to offer lemonade AND iced coffee for the grownups.

It’s really easy to create a stand that’s functional, but also cute and enticing. Just follow my ideas for success, below!

And for more ideas and lemonade recipes, check out my lemonade bar for hosting parties.

Where to Set Up

There are many opportunities for setting up a lemonade stand. When we used to have neighborhood yard sales, the kids would set up their own refreshment stand and it was a huge hit! Here are some more ideas.

• Set up during a yard sale.
• Set up as part of a church fund raiser or charity drive.
• Set up on a busy but safe corner in the neighborhood.
• Create a mobile stand by loading up a wagon with the supplies.
• Set one up as part of a school fund raiser.
• Set up for a block party and take donations for charity.

What You’ll Need

Have a convenient pitcher or drink dispenser to pour the lemonade. Dispensers are preferable as they’re easy for young children to pour without spills.

Paper cups let patrons grab and go, and are easier than plastic on the environment.

For teens and adults, offer iced coffee. Here, we simply poured a 64-oz carton of International Delight Iced Coffee into serving pitchers.

Keep a cooler filled with ice behind the stand and fill cups as needed when pouring drinks.

In addition to lemonade and iced coffee, sell small baked goods too. Here, I pre-packaged 4 different treats into 4 different colored bags for easy reference.

A great selection would be slice-and-bake cookies, rice krispies treats, and brownies as they are all easy to handle and won’t melt or get messy.

Use chalkboard or printable signs to display prices and other information. Here, for easy reference, we listed which sweet treats were in which bags, noted by color.

Don’t forget your money tray and small bills and coins so you can hand change back to your customers. This is a hands-on approach to teaching kids about counting money, and at the end of the day, dividing the profits equally.

Lemonade Stand Decor

In order to get traffic to your stand, make it attractive and inviting. Use some cute display pieces along with pitchers and dispensers to hold the beverages.

Start with bright colors and use them in table coverings, paper snack bags, paper straws, trays, and paper cups. You can even cut some blooming flowers from the garden and pop them in a vase for a lovely touch.

I created a colorful display by hanging DIY fabric bunting and tying it between the two poles of my DIY pipe and drape stand. This worked well because the table was set up under a shade tree.

If you’re in an open space I recommend using a popup tent for shade, and hanging the bunting from that.

The Business

Lemonade stands are a great way to teach children about money. Set up the stand as a small business venture for the kids to make their own cash. Check with your state and local laws first, to make sure everything is in order or if permits are needed.

An alternative is to set it up as a charity fund raiser and give the proceeds to a needy cause.

Set the prices accordingly. If this is for charity you can go a little higher with your prices because people know it’s going to a worthy cause. In general the prices may be set according to your location and what people are willing spend. Start with about 50 cents to $1 for a cup of lemonade and see how it goes.