London and Maddie's Kit Kittredge American Girl Treehouse Fund Update: Over 1,000 Seashells Sold in Bay Head, New Jersey!

Those of you who have been following the story of London and Maddie's road to entrepreneurship, posted here at the Bay Head Blog and over on my Roxiticus Desperate Housewives blog, know that the girls have been painting seashells and selling them for 25 cents out on the sidewalk in front of our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey. They started at the beginning of the Summer of 2007 and earned about $150 from May through the Bay Head Halloween Parade in October.



At the beginning of this summer, when the previews for the Kit Kittredge American Girl movie began to appear on TV along with the required best friend Ruthie doll and related merchandise in the catalogs, Maddie and London started begging for Kit's $250 treehouse. At first I balked at the notion of young girls growing up in the 2008 Recession having the amazing opportunity to spend $250 on the treehouse of a young girl growing up during the 1930's Depression, while families in both eras faced foreclosure and sought debt relief. I realized, however, that having a serious financial goal would be a terrific learning experience for the girls, and I agreed to pay half if they worked hard to raise $125 this summer...so London and Maddie got busy painting shells, folding napkins, making their beds and cleaning their rooms. You'll be glad to hear that the girls met their original goal by the end of the third week of July and the Kit Kittredge American Girl Treehouse (some assembly required) was on its way.

Judging from the entrepreneurial spark I've seen in London and Maddie, having fun working all summer long to reach their goal, these are two girls who will be successful in their chosen careers and will never have to worry about debt relief. This summer's seashell sales have exceeded our wildest expectations. We've expanded our inventory to include Christmas ornaments for $1.00, and hosted a Tom Sawyer-style seashell painting party for all the kids in our neighborhood last week. The girls were photographed for a potential appearance in a regional magazine and they have a new goal for the remainder of the seashell season -- raising $90 for their 50% share of new tennis outfits. So stop by and buy a London and Maddie original seashell if you happen to visit the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey!