John Kerry -Kilvert & Forbes (Kerry's Small Business And Lessons Learned)

[angrydemocrat]

"After a dinner in Boston one evening in 1979, a friend and I were looking for cookies in Faneuill Hall. Fortunately for us we could not find any. When all we found was some empty retail space, an idea was born: Kilvert and Forbes, a cookie and muffin shop that opened later that year.

"It was a late-night inspiration. I had always had an entrepreneurial spirit in me, and this business opportunity allowed me to put it to use. My favorites were our brownies, but I cannot tell you how hard it was to get the ingredients just right.

"Fulfilling my American Dream of owning a business was a challenge and I learned a lot about what it means to be a part of the American economy. I had to hire staff and deal with payroll and taxes. I had to get permits, inspections, do the purchasing, get deliveries, and set up orders. It taught me a lot about paperwork, hassles, the bottom line, and government. So when I served as a member and later Chairman of the Small Business Committee, I knew how important it was for government to work for small business owners, not against them.

Kerry and K. Dun Gifford, named the cookie shop after their mothers.