She may be only 10 years old, but Scarlett Elliott has an entrepreneurial spirit. She is the owner and operator of Scarlett's Sweets, a bake stand located in front of her home at 1991 Turnpike Road, Elizabethtown.

"I love to bake," said the daughter of Matt and Vanessa Elliott, noting that she enjoys the precision of baking. "I like how it's super organized. I really like making cupcakes and cakes."

Last winter, Scarlett mentioned to her dad that with a KOA campground right across the street from their home, she could probably do brisk business selling to campers in the summer.

"So I said, 'I can make you a bake stand,'" recalled Matt, who is an engineer. "I designed and built her cart." The cart is outfitted with an air-conditioned top compartment to store anything that might be affected by heat and humidity, as well as glass doors and shelving and a small refrigerator to hold fudge or refrigerated pies.

Scarlett opened her stand in late June and plans to operate it Fridays through Sundays until school starts again in the fall. Scarlett will be a fifth-grader at St. Joan of Arc School in Hummelstown.

Her inventory changes weekly, although she always has whoopie pies and pies. "The whoopie pies and pies in general seem to be very popular," Scarlett stated. "They usually sell out quickly."

She also creates cupcakes, cookies, fudge and more. "I just made apple pies, and next week I'm making lemon sponge pie," she said. "I'm also going to do shoofly pie."

Scarlett accepts cash or Venmo payments at her stand, and everything is run by the honor system.

She typically takes Mondays off, but by Tuesday, she's back in the kitchen baking that week's inventory. Her 6-year-old sister, Iris, also helps with the business, serving as quality control. "Her job is mostly to eat anything that doesn't pass or anything I don't want to sell," Scarlett said.

Matt noted that he and his wife are proud of Scarlett's drive. "I thought it was a great idea when she said she wanted to do this," he said. "From the time I was 10, I had my own business mowing lawns."

He emphasized that the bake stand offers real-world experience for his daughter. "We make Scarlett do all the math on how much everything costs, and she has to figure out the cost per unit so she can figure out what she's going to charge and still make a profit," he shared.

Scarlett said she plans to save most of the money she makes from her bake stand, but she'll also invest some back into the business, purchasing supplies and equipment.

Offering advice to her peers who may want to start their own businesses, Scarlett said, "It seems like it's hard, but once you start doing it, it gets a lot easier because you know what you're doing."

For a current list of bake stand offerings, search for "Scarlett's Sweets" on Facebook.