In 2012, Brooklyn’s Mike Matthews was at work when one of his coworkers came into the office, lamenting a recent breakup.
As she opened up to him, a singular thought crossed his mind: She needs to talk to Grandma Eileen.
Matthews’ grandma lived in Seattle, and his coworker had never met her, but he gave her Eileen’s phone number anyway.
“She said, ‘Mike, that's so weird. You want me to call your grandma?’” he recalled in a social media post.
Well, yes.
On Monday, the coworker returned to the office with a spring in her step. Eileen had lifted her spirits, and their first call was the start of a series of regular dispatches.
But it wasn’t just a relationship that blossomed with Matthews’ coworker.
“I set up a little lemonade stand, put a laptop on it, noise-cancelling headphones,” he told ABC 7 last year. “And then I would place it somewhere in the city, and then my grandma could virtually meet anyone in New York City that was walking by.”
That was the birth of the Grandma Stand.
For six years, Eileen called in and spoke with thousands of complete strangers, until she passed away in 2018 at the age of 102.
“My grandma had so much love to give, and every person who talks to my grandma feels elevated, feels seen, feels heard,” Matthews told ABC 7. “And she also benefited, like she felt like she was valued.”
After her death, Matthews retired the Grandma Stand. But in 2024, he realized the world needed some good, old-fashioned wisdom.
“I was walking in Central Park and was thinking about all my friends who seemed to be drowning in stress because of world events, family rupture, or politics,” Matthews wrote.
“I purchased a new lemonade stand, painted it Grandma Eileen's favorite color — purple — and invited a kind grandma from my building to participate.”
Since then, the Grandma Stand has grown into a nationwide project. In New York, about 15 grandmas staff a rotating pop-up, which can be found in Central Park, on the streets of Manhattan, or really in any nook or cranny in the city.
The volunteer grannies set up their own purple lemonade stand and post a question prompt to get the conversation started, with topics ranging from “What’s made you cry recently?” to “What’s a relationship you need to fix or let go of?”
But anyone is welcome to come in with their own baggage.
“We could be experiencing a relationship issue, job loss, financial stress, lack of direction, loneliness, newly married, excited about being a new parent, wrestling with forgiveness, or just feeling apathetic, and a disarming grandma is just what you need,” Matthews continued.
“They’ve lived through world wars, don’t care about social media, and have mastered the art of listening and asking questions. They just care about you and who you really are.”
Grandma Flo, a volunteer in New York, has thoroughly enjoyed serving at the Grandma Stand.
“It’s made my life a lot happier,” she shared in a recent video. “It gives me an outlet … something to do, and I really enjoy talking to people from different parts of the world and different cultures. I learn a lot from them.”
A network of Grandma Stands is slowly budding across the country — and the world. In McKinney, Texas, three grandmas recently set up a stand of their own at a holiday market.
One of them, Nancy, a grandmother of four, was volunteered for the role by her daughter.
“I absolutely love it,” she told CBS News. “Grandmas are nonjudgmental and loving people. Sometimes it's nice to talk to someone who's basically a stranger, but you still feel a connection with.”
The McKinney stand was a resounding success, and plans to return in the spring for farmers’ markets. Other Grandma Stands have appeared in Omaha and Denver, with other sites planned for Boston, Berlin, Paris, London, Canada, and Mexico.
Those interested in creating one of their own can fill out an interest form, which comes with a commitment of $800 for all of the standard materials to build the stand.
As the movement grows, Matthews is thrilled that more grandmas — and strangers — are taking part. But it all still comes back to Grandma Eileen.
“I think she would be watching this and saying get as many grandmas involved as humanly possible so at least they have a moment to shine and be heard,” Matthews told ABC 7.
“Selfishly, this is for me to honor my grandmother. I feel like this is what she’d want me to do on a weekly basis … She used the term ‘old people.’ She loves saying … just value old people. See the value of them and don’t look past them.”
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Header image courtesy of The Grandma Stand/Facebook
