Pat Kennedy - Your Washington, DC Real Estate Connection

The Bicycle Place:  The Friendliest Bike Store In Town!

Yesterday, I needed a few things for my bicycle.  Nothing fancy.  Water bottle.  Bottle holder.  Odometer.  And instead of heading to my usual Georgetown bike store, I stopped by The Bicycle Place on Grubb Road in Silver Spring, just over the DC line. 

And I got wowed!

First of all, they acted glad to see me, and it's not like I was spending all that much money or anything.  In fact, the really helpful staff even had me spend less!

Instead of the 15 function odometer, they sold me a much simpler one that passed the "Pat Test".  I may even be able to install it myself!  And they found a blue water bottle and holder that match my cobalt blue Fuji twenty-something speed.

So there is a market force in action here.

For years, I've been patronizing a pretty big local chain.  There was always a wait for a salesperson, even if I am the only customer in the store.  They just didn't seem to care whether I came back or not.  So I didn't.

But I sure will return to The Bicycle Shop.  Like me, they really do seem to work hard to get repeat customers and referrals!

Since I first put together my "Bucket List", learning to ride a horse was close to the top of the list.  I've been riding lots of time, but somehow whenever I did, the horse was in charge.  So I recently started to check out stables, and, like many home buyers, I started my search on line.

The Woodland Horse Center in Silver Spring, Maryland caught my eye with the offer of a free riding lesson every Sunday at 1:00 pm.  So I played hooky from real estate and showed up at horse school.

The whole thing was pure fun.  I loved Ernie, the horse I rode.  And Karen Parker, the instructor who worked with me, was able to communicate clearly what I needed to do to stay on the horse.  I'd never been on an English saddle before, so there was no horn to hold onto!

They didn't do a hard sell, and they did do a great introduction to their programs.

They offer lessons for beginners, like me, and for serious riders into dressage.  You can board horses there, and they also have programs where you can lease a horse instead of buying one.

And of course, the tack shop was the most fun of all!  I saw lots of great wardrobe additions - the cute little hats helmets, jodhpurs that were much cooler than my jeans, riding boots and little jackets with gold buttons and velvet collars - like the stuff they wear at the Olympics.

But I'm getting ahead of myself!  My goal is to be able to hop on a horse and let him know where I want to go.  And I want to be able to make the request so he'll decide to do it.  Hmmm...  This is a communication skill that could cross over into both business and personal relationships.