Resourceful Teen Out of A Job, Starts Own Business

When Mary Nauert, 18, found her summer job wasn't supplying many hours and hence pay, she struck out on her own.

She moved outside Crestwood's Sappington Tea Barn under a big red umbrella and opened Spoke-Cones Snow Cones, and Special Tea Ices.

Everything Nauert sells is $1.

Nauert, a Lindbergh graduate, has been in business since mid-June at Grant's Trail and Sappington Road, in Crestwood. 

"I get most people from the trail," Nauert said.

Indeed, three people on bikes pulled into Spoke-Cones within 15 minutes. Two more drove up in cars.

"It's a quality product," said one patron, Leo Quattrocchi, who was slurping a lime snow cone and appeared to be sweltering in the sun and heat, Thursday.

Interestingly, Nauert has an industrial duty ice grinder that she said belonged to her aunt, who used it at Soulard Market (in St. Louis city) back in the day.

"My dad rewired it, and put on a new switch," Nauert said. And she has all the ice she needs from the Tea Barn's ice maker, down in the basement.

She considers the Sappington Tea Barn a bit of a benefactor, which is why she cleverly advertises Special "Tea" Ices along with her snow cones.

Nauert also keeps the same hours as the Tea Barn, Wed.-Sat., 11am-2pm. But she recently added a few hours extra on Friday nights, when the weather is nice and the trail is busy.

Is this an adult-style lemonade stand venture? What has she learned so far?

"I didn't realize all the time it takes outside the business (hours)—to run a business," Nauert said. "It's a lot."

There was making and posting giant snowcone-shaped signs nearby to advertise the startup. She distributed flyers in a wider arc around town.

She organizes and shops for supplies like flavorings, cups, cones, measuring spoons, straws, teas, hand-sanitizer and more.

"There's always some little thing that you think would make it better," Nauert said. She also first wrote up a business plan and submitted it to the Tea Barn owner, and voila, won the spot outside. 

When the resourceful teen starts college in August at Saint Louis University, is she a business major?

"No, social work," she said. She's in a five-year program and should emerge with a masters degree in the field.

She's training someone to take over the business in August when she starts school, and isn't sure if she will be back at the business next summer season.

"I guess it depends on what college brings" she said. Maybe she'll lease the equipment to another resourceful teen out of a summer job.

Patch will check back later with Nauert to see how the finance end of the business goes. She said she's kept records of what she spends and takes in, to determine if it's profitable, by the end.