Nintendo's value is soaring like an uncaged Zapdos from the success of Pokémon Go, but some small business owners are also reaping benefits from the game. The owners of a number of restaurants and retailers labeled as pokéstops have claimed an uptick in interest, and others, like this coffeeshop owner who drops lures all day long to attract more customers, have found ways to outright exploit the game's mechanics for personal gain.
Our favorite of these creative business owners, however, is Miranda, a 10-year-old entrepreneur from Elizabethtown, KY, who has been turning a profit at the pokéstop located outside her older sister's house.
Look at that color coordination! And catering to many different consumers — Team Mystic, Team Instinct, and Team Valor — that's just Business 101. Miranda's sister Aimee Nordin posted her picture to Reddit. When commenters started giving her crap for the green cups not matching Team Instinct yellow, she listened to the people and made the necessary changes:
The idea came about when Miranda began playing Pokémon Go on her sister's phone. Because Miranda's own prepaid phone was too old to play the game, Nordin and her husband agreed to match the earnings from the lemonade stand to buy an upgrade. The Pokéstop Shop has been in business for three days so far, and Miranda's already made about $100, Nordin told The Verge over email. Having already exceeded the goal to buy a new phone, Miranda's next goal is to buy her nephew a new iPad.
Nothing but plain Lay's for you, Team Instinct
Miranda told The Verge via email that she hasn't yet reached level five, so she isn't yet a member of a team. "But when I do get level five," Miranda writes, "I will be Team Mystic because that's what team my sister and brother are on!"
Miranda originally wanted the lemonade stand to only serve blue snacks, the color of Team Mystic, but she found it in the kindness of her heart to provide for all teams. This didn't stop her from her hilarious decision to serve plain Lay's and Nilla Wafers for Team Instinct (who this reporter feels deserve nothing but flavorless food). However, in keeping a tally of all the customers, Miranda and her family reported an equal number of Team Mystic and Team Instinct visitors, but very few Team Valor. Which raises the question: Team Valor, where y'all at?
According to Nordin, Miranda hadn't heard of Pokémon before the app came out, but she's been keeping busy in her new role as a Pokéstop Shop CEO and has plans to move her shop to other pokéstops. Other businesses in her community have invited her to set up in front of their stores, so Miranda and her family are now considering how much a license would cost.