Day seven, with the cold weather behind me, I hope!

This trip is exciting. I feel like I’m in the middle of it now. I wake up in Maryland, where everyone is getting ready for the crowds because of the Presidential Inauguration. I note that I’ll be heading against the traffic. I’m off to Virginia in the afternoon. It seems to be really cold in Maryland. When I hit the state border, Virginia seemed bright, sunny and warmer. Maybe it’s just an illusion. I think I’ve escaped the cold weather now for a few weeks.

My first stop of the day was not too far to travel. I feel like I’m becoming a seasoned pro at this now. I only call the office for directions every hour or so. The ABC’s and 123’s store in Rockville, Maryland is a cute little store, offering teachers and parents a broad selection of educational resource materials. Lewis Kalavritinos, the owner, noted that there are many local schools offering language immersion programs, particularly in Spanish.

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Upon arriving at ABC's and 123's [top left] Lewis [top right] made sure I felt welcome, as I'm sure he does for all his customers. The inside of the store [bottom] is very well organized and offers everything you could ever want from an educational outlet.

Heading towards Sterling, Virginia, my next visit was Cathy Hatfield of Montessori N’ Such. Cathy has a catalog company distributing Early Childhood Resources to Montessori schools, daycares and parents. I had to laugh when I saw her warehouse. She started not too long ago as a home-based business. One day, our warehouse will probably look like this, too. I am posting this photo mostly for the benefit of my staff, so they can see what the future holds for us.

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Cathy [left] offered me a great deal of insight into the future of my own business by showing me around her warehouse [right].

Last visit of the day was with the folks at Teacher’s Mart in Burke, VA. I had a nice chat with Melissa, Beverly and Kristen, who were very eager to learn about our line of educational audio kits. Teacher’s Mart is a nice bright store in a very nice bright plaza. One bonus is that there was a Starbucks within walking distance, so of course I had to get my Internet fix before heading towards my evening’s B & B hosts.

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Teacher's Mart was such a wonderful place to visit, and best of all, very close to a Starbucks.

Bill and Dorothy of Manassas, VA are incredible hosts. Their beautiful home is located not too far from DC. They both enjoy traveling and we share
many stories over a wonderful dinner. My sincere thanks goes out to Bill and Dorothy for making my stay in Manassas really special.

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Bill and Dorothy, my very gracious hosts at the end of a long day.