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* Elizabeth Brinkama is the author of Biz Buzz articles unless otherwise noted.
These are archives—get more recent buzz at the Biz Buzz Blog.
July 2008
by Elizabeth Brinkama
With all due respect to The Go-Go’s, sometimes a staycation and not a vacation is all you ever wanted. With gas prices inching ever closer to the $5.00 per gallon mark and airlines across the board slashing flight capacity and charging all services as if it were an ala carte menu to offset rising fuel costs, that trip across the country or abroad doesn’t seem quite so appealing as it once did.
However, if properly executed, the staycation can yield as many pleasures and joys of discovery as a regular vacation if a few simple rules are followed.
Rule #1: No housework
This is not intended to be time spent catching up on a month’s worth of dirty underwear and socks, re-grouting the bathroom tile, or cleaning the gutters. That would fall under the category of waycation, i.e. work vacation and the two should never be confused.
Rule #2: Get out of the house
Though the first syllable is “stay”, this in no way implies that you should never leave your house. In fact, it is highly undesirable for you to spend your entire staycation super-glued to the comfy chair and remote control. Go outside!
Rule # 3: Explore your world
Plan an itinerary just as you would were you indeed traveling over the river and through the woods. This is the perfect opportunity to explore your neighborhood and surrounding environs, to visit all the places – museums, parks, stores – that you don’t on a day-to-day basis and re-familiarize yourself with the town you call home. |
July 2008
But meet me in Casa Blanca!
by Elizabeth Brinkama
At the crossroads of Takoma and Langley Parks, barely visible among the eclectic mix of dollar stores, fabric stores and carry-outs, lies a bakery and confectionary with an improbable blend of cultures that makes it seem as if you’ve traveled a great distance. For a journey of less than a mile on the #16 Ride On bus, I found Casa Blanca Bakery the epitome of what it means to experience the joys of discovery.
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July 2008
by Elizabeth Brinkama
It’s an all too familiar scenario these days. Your child needs a school physical by Monday in order to play sports and surprise, they tell you about it today. Perhaps you need to get your blood pressure or cholesterol levels checked regularly, but it’s not always convenient to see your physician during her scheduled office hours.
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July 2008
Interview with Howard and Diana Kohn
Everyone loves small towns, but without seat-of-the-pants entrepreneurs there would be no small towns. This is where Roz Grigsby comes in.
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June 2008
by Elizabeth Brinkama
Stop the presses! Write an angry letter to the editor! What is a profile of 7-Eleven doing in the pages of the Takoma Voice, in the Biz Buzz column no less? After all, isn’t it the mission of this column to feature local, independent businesses? To extol the virtues of buying local whenever possible? To suggest that it is, in fact, a moral imperative to spend your dollars where they are the most effective, i.e. your own community? How then does one begin to justify giving over premium column inches to a national chain? Actually, it’s done without a second thought.
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June 2008
The Big Bad Woof looks at going bigger
by Elizabeth Brinkama
The Big Bad Woof, a staple of the Old Takoma, DC neighborhood and must-stop shopping for pet owners everywhere since 2005, is set to begin expansion of its business by year’s end through franchising. Julie Paez, along with co-owner Pennye Jones-Napier, stopped playing with chew toys long enough to answer a few questions….
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May 2008
Meet the new owners of Savory, Fair day's Play, and Pizza Roma (formerly Pizza Palace)
by Elizabeth Brinkama
There are some new faces in those old familiar places on Carroll Avenue. Though perhaps not readily apparent, three established businesses—Fair Day’s Play, Pizza Roma (formerly Pizza Palace), and Savory Café—are reinventing themselves with much anticipated makeovers starting directly at the top. With new ownership, changes have begun that are designed to keep the strong foundations of what came before while incorporating fresh ideas, as well as fresh paint, to keep customers coming back for more.
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April 2008
Hookin’ up kids with trousers and monsters...
by Elizabeth Brinkama
Just as spring brings much-awaited renewal, Takoma Junction is set to experience a renaissance. Plans are in the works for a new traffic pattern to ease morning and evening rush hour commutes: the Takoma Park fire station renovations are underway, a WSSC water main project is slated to begin this month. Revamped Junction storefronts are opening their doors: The Pizza Palace will reopen as Halal-friendly Pizza Roma, BikramYoga will turn up the heat with 105-degree classes...and a colorful kiddie creature has surfaced.
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| Tiffany King stocks The Pajama Squid with cool kid stuff from companies around the world. |
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April 2008 • Talk of Takoma
by Howard Kohn
The house at 7010 Westmoreland sits as a transitional marker between residential and commercial at the edge of Old Takoma. In the 1990s, the house was occupied by Mary Chapin Carpenter’s management team. Now the house is about to become an iconic location once again.
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March 2008
Now and Then continues to make our hometown a little better
Two generations of Takoma Park residents have known that when they were looking for the quintessential present, they could count on Now and Then. As the store with “something for everyone, and more than one option,” as customer Alexandra Ogilvie says, Now and Then has delivered on the promise of a quirky store.
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March 2008
Golf, Etc. finds its niche in the revitalized downtown Silver Spring
by Samantha Ager
In an age where stores are moving towards “super-sized” and impersonal models, Golf Etc. stands out as a welcoming community based alternative. The new golf specialty store in Silver Spring is part of the Texas-based franchise with stores mainly in the south. However, this family-owned store has its roots in the Metro DC area. Don Lucas, Jr., owner of Golf Etc., was “tired of driving to Rockville or Northern Virginia to get decent golf supplies.” Don saw a need in the golfing community for a comprehensive store that could cater to golf players who live in this area.
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February 2008
The Tranquil Soul offers earth-friendly alternatives
by Elizabeth Brinkama
The Tranquil Soul, the newest merchant in Old Takoma, brings an eco- and socio-friendly sensibility to an already conscientious consumer community.
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February 2008
Amano features comfortable shoes and a wide variety of accesories from around the world
by Vic Augustine
There are few aspects of retail in which Jeff McCandless has not found himself. He and his wife Veronica are the owners of Amano on Carroll Ave in old town Takoma. Jeff’s involvement in distant economies in places like Chile go back to earlier days when he spent eight years in church sponsored activities to stimulate local economies and promote cottage industries. Good intentions, he learned early in his participation, do not guarantee successful business however.
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February 2008
Your feet are in good hands at Pacer’s
by Laney Park
You don’t need to be an experienced runner to appreciate the level of service offered by Pacers of Silver Spring, a new specialty store that opened on Fenton Street last fall.
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