It all started with glow sticks. Curtis buys them for the kids. Every night when the babies go to bed, they ask their daddy for a glow stick. They use them as night lights, and it is really the highlight of their bedtime ritual.

About a month ago, Curtis casually mentioned that we sell glow sticks. I tried to imagine a place we could sell them. Then I thought of the place Xay goes for several hours every Thursday. He’s rehearsing for the Spring musical. We set up a table in the hall of the theater. We sold glow sticks for 25 cents a piece, or 5 for $1. The first day, I left a sign and a make-shift envelope. There was a quarter in it when I picked Xay up.

The next week, I stayed by the table for hours. The children’s show wrapped up it’s final rehearsal, and there were free cupcakes. We didn’t sell any glow sticks that day. But I promised a girl who said she’d have money the next week that I would bring them back the next week.

By then, Yanni was done with her big show downtown and was itching to get back to baking. She made some lemon poppy-seed muffins, and I suggested she try selling them. She charged 75 cents a muffin and sold a half dozen.

That was the week the glow sticks took off, too. Some of the boys with a lot of down time started buying the glow sticks, and the popularity spread. Soon, most of the boys in the production, (The Pirates of Penzance, a boy dominant show, by the way) had a glow stick, and they were having sword fights and what-not with them.

Yanni has returned weekly with baked goods. She sold out of chocolate chip cookies. The snickerdoodles had a bit of competition. A group of girls made cupcakes and posted signs everywhere to advertise. Yanni still sold around 2 dozen cookies, but didn’t sell out.

Now that they’re in show week, the kids are at the theater every day. I found Pizza rolls on sale for Xay to eat as a snack or meal during the 12 hour days at the theater. I bought so many that Curtis suggested Xay sell them. Yesterday he priced them at 5 for a dollar. He sold $5 worth. Today he cut the price in half and made $6. Yanni made a fancier cookie today, a sandwich cookie. She sold all but a half dozen. I don’t think the glow sticks sold at all today.

Xay bought more pizza rolls today with yesterday’s profit. He plans to sell them throughout show week. Yanni wants to continue to offer a fresh new baked good every day. I told her to use her business name, Yanni’s Muffin, on her signs. People are beginning to look for what she has to offer daily. Xay suggested she make something savory.

I want to look into taking Yanni’s Muffin to their co-op on Mondays. Who knows where this adventure leads?