California girl, 10, moves to expand lemonade enterprise despite pushback

(AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File)

A 10-year-old girl in California says she's doing everything she can to expand her sweet summer business selling lemonade, despite a series of hurdles popping up along the way.

Anabelle Lockwood sells fruit drinks for a few bucks each, depending on size. But it's a far cry from the $3,500 her family says she'll need to pay to grow her business -- and get the necessary permit.

At first, the fifth-grader said she just wanted to sell lemonade at her townhouse complex in Orange County's Fountain Valley, using the stand her father built her for her birthday. But a "grumpy neighbor" complained, and the homeowners association shut down the stand, The Orange County Register reported.

Undeterred, she relocated, and before long, "The Loco Lemon" was selling like gangbusters. The girl's mother, Chanel Rene, reportedly got permission from local businesses to let her sell outside, and the family set up a Facebook page.

The next step? Relatives said she wanted to go "legit," making sure her growing business was up to code so she could sell her "gourmet lemonade" at city events, such as outdoor movie nights and tree lightings.

"For food or beverages served to the public, we must require vendors to get a permit through Orange County Health Care," the city's community services manager Rob Frizzelle told the newspaper.

But it won't come cheap. Bringing her business up to code will likely cost thousands of dollars, her family said. Relatives claim an acceptable beverage cart could set them back up to $800.

The family reportedly hopes setting up a GoFundMe page will do the trick. Lockwood has already raised more than $1,000.

The young girl says it's worth it. "It’s my great-grandmother’s lemonade recipe."