On a hot summer day in Sycamore, Illinois, 9-year-old Ethan Wargo is serving up something sweeter than lemonade, compliments.
Instead of charging for a cold drink, Ethan offers words of kindness to anyone who stops by his stand. “It’s just very heart-warming to them,” Ethan explained. And judging by the response, his idea has hit the spot.
The inspiration came from an unlikely place: a “Dog Man” graphic novel. One of the characters had set up an insult stand. Ethan knew right away he wanted to do the opposite. “And then I just got inspired by it,” he said. That spark turned into his free compliment stand, which opened in mid-July.
At first, business was slow. “But for the lack of lemonade and all,” Ethan joked. That changed quickly when his dad, Brandon Wargo, posted about the stand online. “Yeah, it’s really blown up,” Brandon said. His mom, Jessica Wargo, admitted she was surprised too: “I was really kind of caught off guard by just how strong a reaction people had to it.”
Though he sometimes struggles with what to say, Ethan doesn’t give up. “I usually just persevere,” he said with a smile.
And if kindness really is contagious, Ethan hopes it spreads. “If you had that idea, I definitely would compliment you on that,” he said.
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