Halifax boy's Pokemon Go stand sells snacks to buy a computer for homework

One boy in Halifax is trying to capitalize on the Pokemon Go craze by raising money for a new computer to use for school work and gaming.

Hawksley Menard, 10, has set up a "Pokesnax" concession stand on Pepperell Street.

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Menard got the idea from playing the game himself.

"I've noticed when I'm walking around town with my mom playing Pokemon Go, you see all these thirsty- or hungry- looking people playing Pokemon Go walking around the Public Gardens," he told CBC's Maritime Noon.

In the first three days, Menard said he made more than $200 selling snacks — but he's not letting it get in the way of his game time.

You've got to get your Pidgeys in and we've got 'em for you.- Christy Bojarski

"Actually I play Pokemon Go while I'm at the stand while nobody's coming."

His mother, Christy Bojarski, helped him create a sign inviting Pokemon Go trainers to his stand. She said right by their home, there are four Pokestops — or places to pick up items within the game — so it's an ideal spot.

"He sells water, Coca-Cola, apple juice, Gatorade, chips and cookies. And it's all super, super cheap — we didn't go too much above cost with our prices because we're right behind Atlantic Superstore so we needed to be competitive," she said.

To help boost her son's sales, Bojarski posted a listing on a Halifax Facebook classifieds group.

The post has gotten dozens of comments and shares and 1,100 likes since it was posted July 30.

Bojarski said her son got ready for an influx of customers and opened early the next day, but the actual turn-out wasn't as high as they'd hoped.

'He's a trooper'

"I think because everybody assumes somebody else is going to go, you see a post like that you're like, 'Oh this is really cute, this is really interesting, I'm going to share it, I'm going to comment,'" Bojarski said.

"It doesn't really occur to people that they're the ones who need to sort of show up, otherwise no one else does.… I think three people came by [that day]. So he was a little disappointed, but he's a trooper."

Since opening, they've decided to just operate on weekends instead of though the week.

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"We decided to just move his stand to the weekends so that he could use the weekdays to just be a kid and do summer stuff and get out and just have some fun."

The stand will run through the summer, and the family said they might keep it open on weekends once the school year starts in September.

'We're lousy with Pidgeys'

Pokemon Go isn't just a fad that inspired Hawksley to start a snack stand. Bojarski said, as a family, they all like to get together and go on walks to catch Pokemon in their neighbourhood.

"As a household we tend to play one or two games at a time together so that it can be something that we engage with as a team and we can talk about," she said.

Bojarski said they'll put lures on the surrounding Pokestops near their home when Hawksley has his snack bar open, but can't promise any rare or legendary Pokemon.

"I would like to say that to promote his stand that we are the hotbed of rare Pokemon in Halifax and everybody should come out, but that would be incredibly dishonest of me. We actually have a lot of Rattatas and Weedles and Pidgeys, which aren't terribly exciting but they're needed to level up," she said.

"You've got to get your Pidgeys in and we've got 'em for you."

Bojarski will be set up Friday through Sunday, from about 2 p.m. until 7 p.m., outside their Pepperell Street home, next to the construction site for the condo project The Keep.