9-Year-Old Opened a Compliment Stand
Because making people happy is just the right thing to do.
People love to give and to receive compliments. So, whether you like a coworker’s new outfit or a neighbor’s colorful fall foliage, let them know. It could brighten their day.
That’s what Ethan Wargo, 9, from Sycamore, Illinois, thought when he decided to set up a compliment stand in July, 2025, reported CBS News. It’s like a refreshment stand but instead of quenching your thirst, he is boosting your self-esteem.
Why Compliments?
Ethan got the idea of setting up a compliment stand from an unlikely place, the graphic novel Dog Man, where one of the characters sets up an insult stand. Ethan thought that was a pretty bad idea, but it inspired him to do the exact opposite.
So, he made a homemade sign that said “Free Compliments” and set himself up next to his twin sister who had a stand to sell her artwork, reported The Washington Post. Ethan decided that it didn’t feel right to charge people for compliments.
“I didn’t want people to pay to be happy,” he told the Washington Post. “Paying for something like that is very silly.”
While business started slow, there was no lemonade after all, once people started noticing the stand they started stopping by.
“Once I got my first customer, I thought, ‘I should keep doing this,’” Ethan said; “it’s been going really well.”
Business really grew when Ethan’s father Brandon Wargo shared a post about the stand in a local Facebook group.
Ethan estimates that he has already given compliments to at least 60 people and he chats with his visitors first to find out about them so he can give a compliment that is relevant, genuine and kind. Even if it is only about liking someone’s bright green running shoes.
Satisfied Visitors
Ethan’s neighbor Rainbow Kaelin was driving home on July 14 when she spotted the stand and pulled over to check it out.
“I saw that it said, ‘Free compliments,’ and I just laughed because it was so sweet,” Kaelin said. “I thought it was brilliant.”
They chatted about her day, and she told him she was training a new employee and Ethan told her that he hoped it went well and that the employee learned a lot from her. She thanked him but Ethan wasn’t quite finished. He ran up to her car and added, “Your name is so unique.”
Kaelin left Ethan a small tip and many other visitors have too. Some have returned frequently over the summer. Now that school has started, Ethan has packed up his stand, but the experience will never leave him. “[Giving compliments] makes people feel good,” he said. “It also makes me feel good.”
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