An 11-year-old Dellwood entrepreneur whose lemonade stand was shut down over what city officials later acknowledged was a misunderstanding is back in business after the mayor apologized and the city clarified the law.
For two weeks, Keon King Jr. operated a lemonade stand outside the Empire Beauty Supply store with permission from the property owner. His mother, Natara Wade, a local business owner, was supervising the operation to teach her son basic business principles.
The business was temporarily paused Wednesday when a local police officer and Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones informed the pair they needed a permit to operate and had to comply with local health requirements.
“If I’m being 100% transparent with you, if it did not pertain to my son, I would have fought harder,” Wade said. “And I would have made our politicians understand that they have to be educated on the law that they enforce.”
“I was a legislative assistant to the Board of Aldermen, so I understand how legislation works. I know what the Lemonade Law is,” Bailey said. “When we’re wrong, it’s okay to say that we’re wrong. Takes a big person to admit they made the wrong judgement call.
Kevin Bailey, Northside resident
Following the incident, Wade visited Dellwood City Hall to present copies of a Missouri law, commonly referred to as the Lemonade Stand Freedom Act. The law states that “no municipal corporation shall impose a license tax upon any enterprise owned by a person aged eighteen years or younger.”
The bill specifically removes municipal barriers — such as city business license requirements, local permit fees, and municipal business taxes. However, it does not exempt businesses from state or federal safety regulations, environmental laws or broader income tax requirements.
Believing that no laws were broken and feeling that the matter remained unresolved following her city hall visit, Wade said she immediately posted a video on Facebook outlining the situation, where it gained wider attention.
Wade said bringing the law to light wasn’t about holding a grudge, but about modeling accountability and legal advocacy for her son.
“Because the bill is fairly new … I understand that a lot of people may not be familiar or educated on the actual bill,” Wade said. “Ultimately, I just want to teach him entrepreneurship. And then with this situation, to fight for what he believes in and fight for his rights.”
Jones later contacted Wade and King to apologize for the misunderstanding.
He explained that initial enforcement was connected to routine health and food safety oversight, but acknowledged the error. He noted that while local regulations are typically meant to ensure public safety, and health standards, mistake recognition and correction are also vital parts of public leadership.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant | St. Louis American
“When you’re in politics, and you’re a leader, you know, those things are gonna happen,” Jones said. “How you handle it is important. Never will I do anything to negatively affect any young people. I’m probably the most pro-kid mayor in this region.”
Wade stated that she accepted the apology as part of teaching her son about conflict resolution.
“I’m teaching him, you have to forgive and you have to let people make it right,” Wade said. “Because one day you’re going to mess up and you want somebody to forgive you.”
Following the resolution, customers lined up Friday at the stand outside the parking lot of Empire Beauty Supply to purchase drinks. Mayor Jones purchased the first 25 lemonades to open the stand for the day.
A mutual comment shared by many in line was their goal to ensure King would completely sell out his inventory by the end of the day.
Among those present was Kevin Bailey, a Northside resident who said he had driven to north county just for a lemonade from King.
“I was a legislative assistant to the Board of Aldermen, so I understand how legislation works. I know what the Lemonade Law is,” Bailey said. “When we’re wrong, it’s okay to say that we’re wrong. Takes a big person to admit they made the wrong judgement call.”
Bailey added that the resolution highlighted the strength of the local culture
“This is what community culture and leadership looks like. Sometimes we miss the mark… but I like the fact that after all that, it was worked out, and they realized that this was right.”
King will continue to run his lemonade stand, and he told the American that the experience has helped him learn about financial management.
“It’s teaching me a lot about how to save-up and take accountability,” King said, noting that running the business “feels great.”
Mayor Jones confirmed the stand will continue operating on scheduled days going forward.
“We’re all on the same page now,” Jones said. “We’re gonna be supporting each other every Friday and Saturday, right here in the heart of Dellwood.”