We’ve heard lots of great stories from Pick Up Sticks retailers and customers, but never one like this. So we had no choice but to choose Sylvie, the adorable, smart, hard-working 13-year-old from Summerville, South Carolina, who WORKS FOR PICK UP STICKS CHARMS.

Yep, we said that right. Sylvie works for the sole purpose of adding to her Pick Up Sticks collection. When her employer, Heidi from On A Limb (onalimbflorals.com), e-mailed us with her story, we had to know more. So we called Heidi to get the low down on Sylvie.

“Not your typical 13 year-old,” Heidi says, “in fact, like no other 13 year-old you’ve ever met.” Evidently Sylvie came into Heidi’s shop last spring, wanting to buy an expensive Mother’s Day gift for her Mom. When she saw the price tag, Sylvie asked if she could work to pay it off.

Heidi put her to work scrubbing floral buckets, sweeping and taking out the trash. Heidi was leery of hiring someone so young, but Sylvie proved to be an amazing employee. And once the Mother’s Day gift was paid for, Sylvie asked to stay. Seems she’d had her eye on the Pick Up Sticks display.

So now Sylvie, an accomplished drama student at a local fine arts school, works every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning solely to add to her Pick Up Sticks collection. Her first necklace was given to her by her father – “All Who Wander” on a 20″ stainless chain.

Her next necklace earned at the store was a 36″ stainless chain with a candy initial “S” and the bee trinket. Right now there’s a “Flaunt It” charm on Heidi’s bulletin board in the back of the store – Sylvie needs to work one more hour to earn that one.

“Talk about great advertising,” Heidi tells us. Sylvie has graduated to running the candy store portion of On A Limb, and she brings all her girlfriends from school in to buy candy. Eventually they wander over to the Pick Up Sticks display. At Christmas, Heidi had great sales to the mothers of all those girls. It seems they all want what Sylvie has – a Pick Up Sticks collection.

Thanks Heidi, for sending us this great story. And thank Sylvie, for being such a great fan of Pick Up Sticks. We hear you’re quite the addition to Heidi’s store. In fact, she says “you just have to spend time in her presence to see what an amazing kid Sylvie is.”

We’re proud that you chose our jewelry, and for your story, you’ll get to choose a 20″ stainless chain, a photo charm and a trinket. How’s that for expanding your collection?

Find On a Limb Floral at www.onalimbflorals.com, or drop by at 120 Central Avenue in Summerville, SC 845-875-7056. Say hello to Sylvie for us!