Officials Shut Snow Cone Stand Run by 2 Children
Small business lost a round in Bellflower this week when city officials closed down a snow cone stand run by two children.
Karena Gonzalez, 8, and her sister, Christine, 6, were selling homemade snow cones in front of their home when a city code-enforcement officer found their stand violated zoning and health codes. “We were trying to make money for Nintendo games,” Karena said Wednesday. “We were learning how to do things on our own.”
The girls set up their stand for about 30 minutes each day for three weeks, serving other children walking home from nearby Washington School. They sold the cones in four flavors for 25 cents apiece.
Public Safety Director Glenn Hutchinson said the city received two complaints from residents about the stand. “We don’t want to be mean. We sympathize with the kids, but we have to enforce the codes,” Hutchinson noted.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
