Sure, the US has roadside farm stands and maybe an occasional fruit cart, but Britain has cake sheds!
All the rage in the United Kingdom, you would usually find them in rural areas, where small wooden boxes/sheds sell fresh local produce like eggs or veggies, but now they’ve moved into the city, selling sweet treats.
These so-called ‘Honesty boxes’ rely on self-checkout and depend on honest customers paying for their goodies. You drop your cash in a tin, or, now for many of the new ones, there’s a sign allowing online payments (ie PayPal, Venmo.)
Scotland has taken it to a new level, with honesty boxes selling artwork, pottery and even dog-paw balm.
As you might expect, location is key.
One Mum, whose business is so popular it enabled her to quit her day job, says that her location was key to its success.
“I’m right next to a school, so the afternoon school run is a bit of a rush, and our road used to link two big towns before the ring road was built, so many people still use it to get to work.” The shed is perched on the end of her driveway, elevated above the footpath and decorated with fairy lights and flowers. “It advertises itself,” she says.
We wish these would take off in the U.S. One at the end of our block would be nice.