Posted on 12/05/2013 8:58:52 PM PST by kiryandil
An 11-year-old who was banned from selling mistletoe (shown) in a public park in downtown Portland, Oregon, now has more orders for packages of the popular holiday plant than she can handle.
"There was never enough mistletoe for this," said Ashton Root, whose daughter Madison was ordered to stop when she began selling mistletoe at Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland Saturday morning. The story of the aborted enterprise was aired on Portland TV station KATU Sunday evening. National networks and websites carried the news, and by Tuesday afternoon people from all over the country had contacted the KATU newsroom, wanting to buy the youthful entrepreneur's mistletoe.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewamerican.com ...
The free market and free people correct a zero-tolerance, idiotic government nanny state.
Madison Root should be president. Did anyone hear her on Glenn Beck’s radio show today? Incredible! She articulated what this nation should be better at age 11 then by 80% of adult conservatives I have met.
when will Obama take credit for this rise in sales?
As soon as he hears it on CNN?
As soon as Jay Carney claims that they never told “the president” about it.
Mistletoe is a parasite. Your dern tootin’ Barry’s claiming it!
Residents of Paris, right? :-)
Remember that ad from Verizon (I think) where the little girl ends up running a big enterprise from her phone? Madison learned a valuable lesson in marketing, amongst other things.
I loved Megyn Kelly’s comment about “another President Madison in 25 years”.
Get busy, Dad. You’ve got orders to fill.
I heard Madison on Glenn Beck’s radio show Thursday morning.
She said she’s an entrepreneur, and she lamented the lack of a work ethic amongst her peers.
Madison was trying to sell 1,000 bags of mistletoe in order to raise money for her braces.
One hour after Madison was interviewed on Glenn Beck, all 1,000 bags of mistletoe were sold at ten dollars a pop and the orders continued to pour in. Glenn said the mistletoe is gathered on a farm belonging to Madison’s family.
When Glenn asked her if she was named after former president James Madison, Madison replied that she was named after the mermaid in the movie “Splash.” (Played by Darryl Hannah).
Madison is very articulate and intelligent, and only 11 years old! Amazing.
Wow, to harvest that much she would need to walk through the woods with a 20ga and a four-wheeler with a trailer.
Since the cops who stopped her said selling was banned there but begging was Ok, she should have started begging people for the amount she was selling the mistletoe for and then give people the mistletoe as a “thank You”, then the police would be happy because she was begging not selling and begging is what Portland wants to promote. I was in Portland for a week once, felt like a friggin year with all the freaks on the streets.
I heard that interview, too. I was amazed that she is only 11 years old. She said her parents are entrepreneurs, so she must have learned a good work ethic at an early age. What a great “kid.”
So the cute little girl goes on Glen Beck to cry a river. It would be no different it she were to head into Macy's and begin peddling her wares. Macy's would kindly give her the boot. Same at the Saturday Market.
Did she. or her family attempt to book a spot at the Market. All indications point to no.
How do I know about all of this? I too am a vendor. I do not sell at the Saturday market, but at county and state fairs across the nation. We sometimes pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for the privilege of a protected spot. That means no renegades.
Every year we encounter teenagers selling homemade jewelry in the parking lot of our state fair (NY) just to be able to pay to get into the fair and have some fun. It's expensive. We later see them in the fair, getting lunch and riding rides. I have no problem with this.
Madison will now be audited by the IRS.
“Madison Root should be president. Did anyone hear her on Glenn Beck’s radio show today”
We already have an 11 year old as president.
Here is what I believe the true story is:
Parents drive Madison Root to the Portland Saturday Market. Madison wants to sell mistletoe to help her dad pay for her braces.
Madison enters the venue surrounded by permitted vendors and attempts to sell her mistletoe without a permit.
A private security guard hired by Portland Saturday Market asks her to stop selling the mistletoe because city rules ban conducting business or soliciting at the park without proper approval and documentation.
The “public” area that Madison attempted to make sales is rented to the Portland Saturday Market. Every vendor in that area is required to obtain a free permit. Every vendor pays to rent their booth space.
The guard tells Madison that “she can sell her mistletoe on the city sidewalk outside the park’s boundaries, but not in the market, or she can simply ask people for a donation for her braces” and give them the mistletoe.
Madison had 4 choices:
1. Follow the rules like every other vendor and obtain a free permit and rent a booth.
2. Sell mistletoe on the sidewalk outside the venue.
3. Stay in the venue and ask for a “donation” instead of a “sale”.
4. Stop trying to exchange mistletoe for money altogether.
Madison “chooses” option number 4, which is to stop selling mistletoe altogether.
Why would Madison choose option number 4?
She was already there on a mission, had a supply of hand packaged mistletoe, and could have sold them outside the venue on the sidewalk. There was no need to ask for a “donation” if she didn't want to.
Why would she just quit and go home?
Because the story of an 11 year old girl getting kicked out of a park by “the man” while selling mistletoe at Christmas to pay for braces is SENSATIONAL.
Madison chose #4 because this choice produced an epic “Child's Christmas Tragedy”.
Of course this must be reported to the news outlets.
Who called the news? The guard? The venue? I doubt they wanted the bad publicity...or even thought it would be news worthy.
Perhaps the parents called the news?
“The guard told her she can beg if she wanted but she can’t sell the mistletoe,” Root’s father, Ashton told, ABCNews.com.
(Not entirely true Dad!)
Fueled by the media, the public is outraged, and poor little Madison ends up selling $100,000 worth of mistletoe instead of the $1000 she may have sold at the original venue.
This whole thing was orchestrated from the beginning by the parents.
I am sure, being 11, Madison thought she was truly trying to sell mistletoe to help the family.
I am also sure that Madison's parents knew (or were at least hoping!!) that Madison was going to be asked to stop selling mistletoe at the venue.
Brilliant, but I'm not falling for it.
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