Welcome to the Grandma Stand

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in New York City, you may find people lined up behind a purple lemonade stand. The stand isn't selling beverages or food – in fact, it's not selling anything at all. The people are waiting to talk to the Grandma in the Grandma Stand, a portable pop up placed on street corners, subway entrances or in Central Park, offering the free wisdom, empathy and listening ear that you can only get from a loving grandparent.

The person behind the innovative Grandma Stand is Mike Matthews of New York City.

Like many children, Matthews didn't fully appreciate his Grandma Eileen when he was growing up. "Our relationship was seasonal," explains Matthews, 44. "I saw her on the holidays and we always had a loving relationship. I liked visiting her and knew when I did we would have a great meal. But our conversations were mostly surface-level, lighthearted stuff, nothing too deep."

But their relationship changed when Matthews was in college and his grandmother moved in with his parents in the Seattle area. He says, "When I came home for school breaks, she was at my house and we got the chance to spend much more time with each other."

This time together allowed Matthews to develop a stronger appreciation for his grandmother and her role in his life. "I realized how lucky I was to have Grandma Eileen," says Matthews. "She was able to be fully present with me. She would ask me questions and really listen to my responses. Grandma Eileen had no agenda - she was loving and empathetic."

In 2012, a co-worker came to Matthews to discuss a recent break-up. "She was looking for comfort and support and needed more than I could offer," explains Matthews. "I thought she would benefit from talking to my Grandma Eileen, so I wrote down her landline number and suggested she call her. The co-worker replied, 'You want me to call your grandma, who I have never met? That is the weirdest thing anyone has ever asked me to do.'  However, she took me up on it and after they spoke, her spirits were lifted. Grandma Eileen helped her to see everything was going to be okay."

That positive interaction led Matthews to want to find a way to share Grandma Eileen's gifts with more people. "She had so much love and empathy to give, it was beyond what our family could appreciate," says Matthews.

Grandma Eileen was 96 and could no longer travel to New York City where Matthews lived. So, he decided he would bring the city to her. He bought a lemonade stand and set it up in different locations throughout New York each week.

Credit: Mike Matthews

Matthews says, "I would bring my computer so Grandma Eileen could FaceTime with people in New York, using noise-canceling headphones so they could focus on their direct interaction."

To elevate the conversation, Matthews set up a sandwich board where he would write a weekly question. The questions ranged from, "What brought you joy this week?" to "Who is someone you need to forgive?"

When the Grandma Stand began, Matthews didn't know how people would react. "New York is a city where everyone is on the move, busy and distracted so I wasn't sure what to expect," says Matthews. "But from the start, people were intrigued by the stand and would stop to see what was going on. There were kids, young adults, locals and tourists, waiting in line to talk to Grandma Eileen directly."

Sadly, Grandma Eileen died in 2018 (at age 102), and Matthews retired the Grandma Stand.

But in 2024, he decided that it was time to resurrect it. "The world is so chaotic right now," explains Matthews. "People were so stressed out and lonely. I thought maybe the Grandma Stand could bring some momentary respite back to people's lives."

The new version of stand is painted purple (Grandma Eileen's favorite color) and is decorated with photos of Grandma Eileen. There is a rotating group of grandmothers sitting behind the stand (mostly in-person although occasionally virtual.)

"Lots of people nominate their grandmothers for the job," says Matthews. "I get on Zoom, usually along with their child or grandchild and the prospective candidate. The ideal grandmas have empathy and ask interesting questions – hallmarks of Grandma Eileen."

While the mobile booth is reminiscent of the psychiatry booth that Lucy Van Pelt used in the Peanuts cartoon, the similarities end with the aesthetic. "In the cartoon, Lucy's goal was to charge five cents for her advice," explains Matthews. "The Grandmas in the stand are not therapists; unlike Lucy, they aren't trying to solve people's problems. They are there to listen and offer comfort."

The stand continues to attract a wide range of people. "Some have heard about us on social media or in the news and come specifically to see us once I post the upcoming location on Instagram stories," explains Matthews. "Others just see the stand and want to know what is happening, so I will give a brief explanation. They either wait to chat, take a picture or use the weekly question prompt to guide their conversation on the way to their next destination."

For Grandma Eileen, the Grandma Stand was a great way to connect with people. "My grandmother just loved people," says Matthews. "She disliked the term 'senior citizens' and preferred 'old people.'  She would say, 'Old people have a lot of worth and untapped wisdom – we have value.'

"There is something very different about a grandmother than any other person in your life," explains Matthews. "They don't care about fame or social media attention. They are present and undistracted, solely focused on you, which makes the connection so powerful. Sitting one-on-one, I have been amazed to see people willing to open up and share their stories. They all walk away feeling better."

There is no charge for patrons of the stand, and the grandmas all volunteer their time. "For the grandmas in the stand, it's a chance to be seen and to connect with people," explains Matthews. "It gives them something to talk to their respective families about and a sense of purpose knowing they are helping people."

A recent grandma in the stand was a once beloved schoolteacher from the Bronx who retired several years ago. Matthews says, "Grandma Flo's former students came to see her, sent her DMs … they were so happy to see her getting the attention she deserves."

As for Matthews, the Grandma Stand is a labor of love. He holds a full-time job as a social media consultant and has refused offers of sponsorship or brand collaborations.

"My wife will jokingly ask, 'How long will you keep doing this?' as it can be time consuming, "says Matthews. "My answer is that it will last as long as it's still fun. For me, it's about honoring Grandma Eileen – this is what she would want me to be doing."

Beyond the physical stand's impact, Matthews is hopeful about the ripple effect of the concept. "I often hear from people who say that this experience inspired them to reach out to their own grandparents and elevate the conversations they have with them," says Matthews. "We often stay stuck on the surface level, not asking the deeper questions. But older adults want to share the good, bad and ugly in their lives."

Matthew's advice is don't be afraid to ask questions. "Most older adults want to talk about things that happened when they were younger," says Matthews. "One thing that would bother Grandma Eileen was that we wouldn't ask about her late husband, my grandfather. We thought it would upset her to talk about him but that is actually what she wanted to do. Or asking about things that are difficult to do now that they used to be able to do, how women's role in society has evolved in their lifetime or what they see positive in this new generation."

Hopefully the Grandma Stand nudges people to talk to their grandparents more often and capture their living history. Matthews says, "I often ask people, 'How much would you pay to have a 30-second video of your great-great-grandma? To see her mannerisms, her voice, laugh and stories.' Well, we have incredible tools to do so with the grandparent right in front of you."

Randi Mazzella is a freelance writer specializing in a wide range of topics from parenting to pop culture to life after 50. She is a mother of three grown children and lives in New Jersey with her husband.  Read more of her work on randimazzella.com. Read More