SALT LAKE CITY—A Utah boy has earned widespread social media attention for his neighborhood soda stand thanks to a sign he holds that reads, “Ice Cold Beer” with “root” above the word beer in tiny print.
Several residents in the northern Utah city called police earlier this week concerned about a young boy selling alcohol in front of a church, said Brigham City Police Lt. Tony Ferderber on July 18.
A boy in Utah with a unique marketing strategy caught some attention from police. According to a Facebook post from the Brigham City Police Department, the boy was holding up a sign that said, “ICE COLD BEER.”https://t.co/M6BOLKtKM2 pic.twitter.com/4O9aXXjysp
— 6 On Your Side (@IdahoOnYourSide) July 17, 2019
Officers that went to check it out realized that it was just a clever marketing ploy and posted pictures of 11-year-old Seth Parker on Facebook with the comment, “a twist on a lemonade stand.”
Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah, tweeted a picture of Seth with the comment, “A lesson in reading the fine print! The future is bright for this young Utah entrepreneur.”
A lesson in reading the fine print! The future is bright for this young Utah entrepreneur. https://t.co/bJgyaIFhQe
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 17, 2019
Seth’s mother Alexis Parker said Thursday that the family is dumbfounded and excited by all the attention. She estimated that some 60 people a day come to the stand.
Seth started the stand because his parents urged him to get out more after they noticed he had struggled to make new friends since the family moved from Georgia last year, Alexis Parker said.
Seth thought about a yard sale or lemonade stand but settled on selling the soda because he is a root beer “fanatic,” she said. He chose the sign with the tiny print as a little “wise crack.”
Utah boy selling ‘ICE COLD BEER’ gets police attention https://t.co/0BiSXz0caW
— KLBK News (@KLBKNews) July 17, 2019
The first day brought some scoffs and scowls, especially for people without good vision, she said.
Boy, 11, Uses ‘Ice Cold Beer’ Sign to Sell Soda with ‘Ingenious’ Fine Print and Police Are Impressed https://t.co/X2AUTjQRKG
— People (@people) July 17, 2019
But people soon caught on to the joke.
“We’re loving people stopping by and just having a good laugh,” said Alexis Parker. “It is a joy all the way around.”
By Brady Mccombs