Business is booming for Jurnee Bush, the 8-year-old girl in Charlotte, North Carolina who started her own neighborhood lemonade stand called “Squeeze the Juice.”
What started out as a fun little project to bring some joy during the pandemic has become a real hit, with advanced orders now being accepted to help satisfy the growing demand.
And earlier this week, the demand reached a new level.
Lowe’s learned of Jurnee’s story and wanted to do something special in honor of National Lemonade Day on August 20, so the company placed an order for 226 pints, enough for every single associate at the nearby Northlake store.
Needless to say, that’s a lot of lemons.
“We were like, ‘WHOA!!!’ We were so excited,” Jurnee’s mother Patrice said. “We called all the family immediately because this is definitely a family business. Everybody got onboard. We were all squeezing the juice.”
Jurnee and her family delivered the lemonade to Lowe’s where they were met by store manager Tyrone Hibbler, who had a special surprise for the young entrepreneur.
Lowe’s loves any opportunity to celebrate the DIY spirit, and Hibbler gifted Jurnee with a tumbler and T-shirt featuring her brand logo, some Lowe’s swag and a $100 gift card.
“I am so proud of you,” he told Jurnee. “I want my daughters to look up to you. I’m going to tell them all about you when I get home.”
Hibbler then took a taste of the lemonade before bringing the pints inside for his team to enjoy.
“Really good lemonade,” he said. “If you think about grandma’s lemonade, it’s that, plus some. Jurnee is definitely making this with love.”
And it’s definitely making an impression in her community. Life gave lemons and Jurnee has clearly poured her energy into making lemonade.
“It says a lot for an 8-year-old to say, ‘You know what? I want to sit down and start a business. That’s pretty awesome,” Hibbler said. “And she’s doing extremely well. I know she’s going to be absolutely amazing when she gets older and when she applies her talents toward whatever it is she wants to do.”
For now, Jurnee is focused on the big plans she has for “Squeeze the Juice.”
“I’m going to keep selling my lemonade until it takes over the world.”
