A Girl Scout from Glendale, California, is making headlines this week for one very clever sales tactic. According to Yahoo Life, 7-year-old Siena Levin was recently looking for an area with "high traffic [and] low competition" to sell her cookies. So, after giving it some thought, she decided to head to West Hollywood — a bustling LGBTQ+ neighborhood filled with comedy clubs, celeb hideaways, and gay bars.
Ultimately, it was the best decision she could have made.
The 7-year-old spent two Sundays in February selling the cookies
Yahoo reports that she was accompanied by her mom Jen, 4-year-old sister Riley, and her aunt Julie.
And instead of setting up a stationary table, Siena apparently loaded up a small wagon with cookie boxes and walked down Santa Monica Boulevard, which proved to be a much better way of gaining customers.
Along the way, Siena found herself getting a lot of attention
After all, even though the area is known for its nightlife, things are just as busy during the day, where passersby frequently visit indoor/outdoor bars with drag performances and "go-go" boys, or simply stroll along the street on warm, sunny days.
"We weren't sure how people were going to respond at first," Siena's mom Jen admitted to Yahoo Life.
But before long, it was clear that she didn't have anything to worry about.
Dozens of customers gladly stopped to buy a box of cookies from the 7-year-old
Many even leaned over patio railings as they sat outside gay bars and restaurants and asked for a box or two of Tagalongs or Do-si-dos.
A few people even went a step further.
"Some of the guys at the bar, they were trying to help us with sales," Jen shared. "They were yelling out for us, telling people to walk by. They were like, 'You wanna buy some cookies? They take Venmo!'"
What started out on a whim wound up being an incredible experience
"It was so fun," Jen told Yahoo. "We were just walking and, like, they'd stop, and when they saw one person buying, they'd all crowd in. One of the guys who bought cookies, he was really funny because he said, 'You're gonna make me fat!'"
In the end, the California mom says her daughter's confidence skyrocketed, which is what led her to come back the following Sunday for another day of cookie selling.
"[She] just started yelling on the street, 'Cookies! Girl Scout cookies!' to anyone who would walk by," Jen recalled. "And the great thing about it was, like, everyone's sitting outside of these bars [at curbside tables], so they're ready. We didn't have to plant ourselves down in front of a business or restaurant."
The sweet story comes at a significant time
The queer community has found itself under fire in a variety of states lately — including Oklahoma, where a newly introduced bill could outlaw drag shows on public property or in front of minors, which would include popular LGBTQ+ performances such as Drag Queen story hours.
According to reports, violators of the bill could face felony charges if it's passed, which would be punishable by up to two years in jail, as well as a fine of up to $20,000.
Casey Longacre, a 28-year-old drag performer and activist, told Time last week that the measure (known as House Bill 2186) was a “direct attack on the queer community and drag community."
At least 14 other states have also introduced anti-drag bills, as well as bans on gender-affirming care — both of which have left the LGBTQ+ community reeling.
"A year ago they were talking about banning trans people in sports, and they [said they] were just gonna stop there, but no, they’re not," Conner Caughlin, a 24-year-old drag performer, told Time. "It’s terrifying to be in a red state right now, but when you don’t have the resources to move, you just kind of have to dig your heels in and keep on fighting."
