How does a fresh bouquet of bowl-size dahlias in nearly every color of the rainbow sound?

The Brewer brothers – Zack, age 11, and Eli, age 8 – are back in business with their new permanent dahlia stand at the Head of the Bay, where Wyatt Way turns in to Eagle Harbor Drive.

“We just put up a new stand a few weeks ago,” Zack said. “Our old stand kept getting knocked down.”

From about 8 a.m to dark during the summer, the mostly unmanned stand blooms with fresh-cut flowers ready for purchase.

“We sell on average 50 flowers a day,” Eli said.

“People like dahlias because they are pretty hardy, they last a while,” Zack added.

The two young entrepreneurs take their responsibilities seriously, waking up early every morning to cut the flowers in the fields behind the stand – the best part of the job, according to Eli.

They tote their merchandise down in a wheelbarrow capable of delivering the flowers in vases without spilling. Supplies are replenished throughout the day.

By selling the smaller blooms for fifty cents each and the large ones for a dollar, the brothers have been able to save up for some pretty great things.

“With the money that we make, we save it and go on trips,” Zack said.

“My favorite place we have gone is Disneyland,” Eli said. “We also bought our computer with the money from our dahlia stand.”

“I have learned a lot about responsibility of money,” Eli added. “We make a chart that shows how much we make and how much we need to save.”

The boys split the profits 50-50, and have each opened bank accounts to save the money they don’t spend.

This will be the fifth year that the brothers have run stand – and with such nice weather, it may be the best year yet.

“The first flowers bloom in June,” Zack said, “and they will keep coming up until the first frost.”

The brothers got started in the flower business under their dad’s initiative.

“Dahlias were my ex-wife’s favorite flower,” Dan Brewer said. “We had a few in our upper garden, and decided it would make a great business for the boys.”

Growing dahlias has now become a family affair, and last year all went to Oregon to visit the largest dahlia farm in the world – spanning over 40 acres and 128 different species.

“We each picked out a few types that we liked,” Zack said. “We now have over 30 different varieties and we will keep adding a few new types each year.”

There is no question that the boys’ business is here to stay.

“We have talked to people that said they have been coming here for years,” Zack said, “and we have already talked to two different people that say they want flowers for their weddings this summer.”

“Our job is a lot of fun,” Eli said, “and hopefully more and more people will just keep coming.”