{"id":2611754,"date":"2026-06-07T16:03:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T20:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-82-marilyn-burns-still-powers-lakesides-small-business-spirit\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T16:07:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T20:07:31","slug":"at-82-marilyn-burns-still-powers-lakesides-small-business-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-82-marilyn-burns-still-powers-lakesides-small-business-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"At 82, Marilyn Burns still powers Lakeside&#8217;s small business spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fat-82-marilyn-burns-still-powers-lakesides-small-business-spirit%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611754&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Marilyn Burns, owner of Marilyn\u2019s in Lakeside, Ohio-a gift shop known for everything from souvenirs and candy to toys and clothing-won Fox Business\u2019s \u201cMade in America\u201d small business contest and received a $25,000 prize. She describes Lakeside as a slow, community-centered place where people recognise one another and local families spend time together, and she has been a familiar presence there for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Burns has lived in Lakeside since 1999 and previously taught school in Toledo, Ohio, for 30 years while also running retail businesses. After a divorce, she restarted her life by shrinking from a much larger store to a smaller one and rebuilding her business over time. Her entrepreneurial drive began as a child, encouraged by her father\u2019s lessons about earning money-starting with making and selling potholders door to door. Even at 82, she still <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >works extremely long hours<\/a> during the summer, saying she keeps going becuase she enjoys it.<\/p>\n<p>When her employee submitted the contest application and Fox Business announced she was a winner, Burns decided to donate all $25,000 rather than keep any of it. She plans to support youth organizations and local projects, including summer camps, middle-grade ministries for junior high kids, and a toddlers\u2019 program called \u201cGod Squad,\u201d along with funding for town \u201cpet peeves\u201d she wants to fix. After the proclamation,hundreds of residents gathered downtown to cheer,and Burns emphasized that the recognition won\u2019t change her focus-she does what she does for others and to share her blessings back with the community.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marilyn Burns \u2014 the proud owner of Marilyn\u2019s in Lakeside, Ohio, a gift shop that has everything from souvenirs to candies, clothing, toys, and more \u2014 won Fox Business\u2019s \u201cMade in America\u201d small business contest, and with it, a $25,000 prize. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn Lakeside, people don\u2019t rush,\u201d Burns said. Golf carts hum quietly down Walnut Avenue because you can\u2019t go over 15 miles. Children carry their money down to the candy store by themselves. On Sunday mornings, families gather by the docks along Lake Erie, while church music drifts across the water. \u201cIt\u2019s very calm,\u201d Marilyn tells the<em> Washington Examiner.<\/em> \u201cEverybody knows who you are and what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4587584\/four-branches-bourbon-wins-fox-competition\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Veteran-founded bourbon brand wins $25,000 Fox Business contest: \u2018Sip to remember\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4595334\/peta-sue-dc-metro-refuse-run-advertisement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>PETA sues DC Metro system over refusal to run advertisements<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4594280\/spacex-175-billion-ipo-musk-trillionaire\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>SpaceX sets $75 billion IPO target as Musk on track to become first trillionaire<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly three decades, Burns has become one of those familiar faces woven into the rhythm of the town itself, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-night-restaurant-owners-want-to-play-fair-so-far-they-say-newsom-hasnt\/\" title=\"Late-night restaurant ...s want to play fair. So far, they say, Newsom hasn&#039;t\">business owner<\/a>, former teacher, grandmother, mentor, and now the winner of a national Fox Business small business competition that brought hundreds of cheering residents into downtown Lakeside. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: Marilyn\u2019s at Lakeside, Ohio, on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly three decades, Burns has become a familiar face woven into the rhythm of the town itself, a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/business\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8763\">business owner<\/a>, former teacher, grandmother, mentor, and now the winner of a national Fox Business small business competition that brought hundreds of cheering residents into downtown Lakeside. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burns has lived in Lakeside since 1999. Before moving there, she lived in Toledo, Ohio, where she taught school in Sylvania for 30 years while operating retail businesses. \u201cI had five retail stores in Toledo at one time while I was teaching school,\u201d Burns said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After her divorce, Burns moved to Lakeside and started over. \u201c I went from a 12,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-courts-ai-retailers-in-effort-to-revitalize-city\/\" title=\"San Francisco courts AI, retailers in effort to revitalize city\">000-square-foot store<\/a> to a 440-square-foot store and started all over and have built it back up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-marilyn-s-entrepreneurial-beginnings-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marilyn\u2019s entrepreneurial beginnings <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burns credits much of her entrepreneurial mindset to lessons she learned from her father. As a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/children\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1861\">child<\/a>, she received a weekly allowance of just a dime; if she wanted more money, she had to figure out a way to earn it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe told me if I wanted to turn it into a dollar, go figure out how to do it,\u201d Burns said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a young child, Burns began making potholders and selling them door to door. \u201cI\u2019d buy 25 cents\u2019 worth of potholder loops and sell five potholders for 25 cents each,\u201d she said. The lesson from her father stayed with her throughout her career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even after decades in business, Burns continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hypocrisy-on-full-display-in-biden-white-house-after-staffer-threatened-journalist\/\" title=\"Hypocrisy On Full Display In Biden White House After Staffer Threatened Journalist\">work long hours<\/a> at the gift shop. \u201cI\u2019m 82 years old,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the summer, I\u2019m doing like 60 to 80 hours.\u201d Still, she says she enjoys what she does. \u201cIf I can\u2019t have fun, I\u2019m not doing it,\u201d Burns said. \u201cI\u2019m just playing store.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That attitude extends to her employees, many of whom have worked alongside her for years. Burns stated that Marilyn\u2019s employees have always given to the community and that they started to brainstorm ideas of what to do with the $25,000 win. \u201cI have a team of seven people who work for me, and they are awesome, wonderful people,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Marilyn\u2019s serves as something of a community gathering place where Burns focuses on creating an experience for local families and young children. Young customers often visit the store on their own, and Burns takes pride in helping them choose candy from a colorful wall that stretches six feet high and nine feet wide. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burn\u2019s 13-year-old grandson is among the children who often visit the store and who she says buy all the candy and most of the toys. \u201cWe have a lot of fun, I\u2019m 82 years old. If I can\u2019t have fun, I\u2019m not going to do it,\u201d Burns says.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: Marilyn\u2019s at Lakeside, Ohio, on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-winning-the-fox-business-competition\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Winning the Fox Business competition<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burns learned about the competition after one of her employees, Brett Johnson, saw the contest on the Fox Business Channel and decided to submit an application. \u201cHe comes in one day and says, \u2018Marilyn, we have a problem.\u2019 He goes, \u2018I applied for this contest; the winner gets $25,000, and we\u2019re in the top 10,\u2019\u201d Burns said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Burns learned she won the Fox Business \u201cMade in America\u201d small business competition, she made a decision that was no surprise to many people: She would donate every penny of the $25,000 prize. \u201cI\u2019m not keeping any of it,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve got enough to live on. I\u2019d rather bless others with it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burns said she plans to distribute the money to youth organizations and community projects throughout Lakeside, including three big summer camps, middle-grade ministries for junior high kids, and an organization called \u201cGod Squad\u201d for toddlers. Burns also noted a few \u201cpet peeves\u201d around town that she plans to fund and fix. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Fox Business announced Burns as one of the winners of its competition, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Lakeside to watch. Burns said the support from the community was overwhelming. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey were all cheering really loudly when we won,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: Marilyn\u2019s at Lakeside, Ohio, on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4583211\/fox-business-rewards-top-small-businesses-america-250\/\"><strong>MAIN STREET WINS: FOX BUSINESS REWARDS TOP SMALL BUSINESSES FOR AMERICA\u2019S 250TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the recognition, Burns said her focus remains on helping others rather than drawing attention to herself. \u201cI don\u2019t do what I do for glory,\u201d she said. \u201cI do it for others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Burns, success is rooted in hard work, community involvement, and sharing blessings with others. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been givers to our community,\u201d she said. \u201cYou need to share your blessings because the blessings come back to you eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marilyn Burns\u2019 Ohio gift shop won Fox Business\u2019s $25,000 \u201cMade in America\u201d contest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":2611755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/493599507_1171251121466503_7220006826712694607_n-1-e1780597295839.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[80986,80985,51972],"class_list":["post-2611754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-lakeside","tag-marilyn-burns","tag-small-business-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/493599507_1171251121466503_7220006826712694607_n-1-e1780597295839.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611754"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611758,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611754\/revisions\/2611758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}