Girl Scout Keighley Young Hopes to Hit a More Than a Thousand

You might’ve spotted her Saturday afternoon, alongside Nutt Road, flagging down cars to Petrucci’s Ice Cream.

Keighley Young of Phoenixville set up shop in the famous pink parking lot Saturday to get a bit closer to her goal of selling 1,250 boxes of Girl Scout cookies this year.

It hasn’t been an easy journey. Young began selling the cookies in mid-January. As many stores won’t let the scouts inside, that means Young was out in the cold, the rain, the snow, rushing inside to warm up before heading back out with laser focus.

“Most of our booths, we’ve been having to do outside in the freezing cold,” Young said. “It’s important to bundle up.”

Then she hit a bump. At her part-time job at Phoenixville Hospital, Young sprained her ankle and now dons a walking boot to help her get around. It hasn't slowed her down.

There were good days, too. On Super Bowl Sunday, Young sold approximately 300 boxes at her station that day to hungry football fans.

At Petrucci’s Saturday, Young headed to the sidewalk to let passing cars know about the sale. As the wind whipped the tablecloth, the high school junior seemed nonplussed and always prepared for customers.

With the money she raises from the sales, Young, a super seller in Girl Scout lingo, hopes to be able to take a trip to California this summer, where she’ll take photos of wilderness in the national parks. Profits also go toward a troop trip to Europe. Last year, she headed to the canyons in Arizona and Nevada.

Along with the trips, Young noted that selling cookies gives her valuable experience that she can use later in life.

“It’s just basically the experience of selling things for when I’m older,” Young said.

As a super seller, Young also got to tag along when the National Constitution Center recognized the scouts for 75 years of sales. Part of the celebration involved creating a 75-pound shortbread cookie, which Young helped make.

Young, who’s with Troop 41476 out of Coventry, has been in Girl Scouts since she was a Daisy. The highest amount of cookies she ever sold was 2,250 in one season.

The bestsellers remain consistent. Thin Mints® are the biggest hit, with Caramel deLites® and Peanut Butter Patties® also selling well. Young stores the cookies in her garage, where it’s cool, and usually starts with 15 to 20 cases of the top sellers and then 10 cases of all the others. Each case contains 12 boxes.

There are only a few more days of cookie sales left, and Young will be sending some down to the Philadelphia International Flower Show, too.

Recently honored with the Good Citizenship Award, Young hopes to study graphic design after college.