Northern Virginia business owners Leah Fried Sedwick and her mom, Barbara Fried, are founders and owners of Olde Towne Pet Resort — an expansive, upscale pet resort catering to metro area pet owners in search of quality accommodations for their beloved canines and felines. This savvy, motherdaughter duo has come together to grow their pet resort business beyond its original, Springfield, Virginia roots.

AFTER SIX SUCCESSFUL years in business, Urban Retreat owner Cynthia Schneider finds herself taking more time to enjoy the color gray, admire streamlined furniture styles and better cater to her legion of devoted customers and store fans.

It was 5:00 pm'ish somewhere in Southern California as Urban Retreat chic furniture store owner Cynthia Schneider pulled over to take my call. "I'm so sorry to do this (interview) over the phone while in the car," Schneider lamented. “No apologies required,” I shared. I was grateful for the time to connect and believed Schneider's own customers would be just as grateful to know she spent most of her day furniture shopping on the West coast exclusively with them in mind. Based in Reston, Urban Retreat is a "wholesale retail furniture warehouse offering low-cost, custom made residential furniture."

ONCE FELLOW CO-WORKERS, boutique owners Carol White and Kim Hutchings spent years trying to find the perfect job. Their search for career utopia ended with the launch of their Brambleton-based, fashion-forward women’s clothing store aptly named Misguided Angels.

Ever heard of the Fashion District in Los Angeles? Nikki B., an Ashburn-based Yelp.com reviewer, reports that the Brambleton-based Misguided Angels boutique reminds her of just that. “I’m not a fan of boutiques, but I have to admit this one grows on me,” states Nikki about the shop. “This store is definitely on the edgy and trendier side. It reminds me of the LA Garment District.”

WOLFTRAP NATIONAL PARK for the performing arts plays host to a wide selection of artists from all genres...

The complex, which includes indoor and outdoor venues, sits atop a 130-acre lot in the heart of Vienna, and consists of the Filene Center, named after Catherine Filene Shouse, who donated the land to the government in 1966, The Barns at Wolftrap and The Children’s Theater in the Woods. For nearly five decades Wolftrap has been our nation’s first and only national park specifically designed for the performing arts, and is a landmark location for local metro area residents.

“Will you come to my party?” While some women count down the days to a night out, glass of wine, and a reason to shop—many sometimes think: Yeah, It’ll only cost me one hundred bucks and a booking to shut my newfound consultant up.

Gone are the days of the Tupperware lady and Longaberger Basket woman that would randomly make an appearance for a party. Today, one can attend a party for almost anything—food, clothing, accessories, candles, kitchen supplies, scrapbooking materials, make-up, and even sex toys. Nothing seems to be off limits, causing many women to add girl’s night out parties as part of a monthly budget, or taking the other approach and making a cheat sheet of reasons why you are suddenly busy on a Thursday night.

HomeGoods, the country’s only major off-price store dedicated to home fashions, will open its first store in Alexandria on Sunday, May 1^st at 8:00 a.m. The 24,000 square-foot store is located at Mount Vernon Crossroads at Richmond Highway and Belford Drive. With the addition of this store, HomeGoods will have 12 stores in the Washington, D.C. market. In honor of this grand opening and to support the Alexandria community, HomeGoods will donate $5,000 to the United Community Ministries of Alexandria.

HomeGoods offers an exciting, ever-changing selection of high-quality home fashions at prices 20% to 60% less than department and specialty store regular prices, every day. HomeGoods provides consumers with extraordinary values on brand name and designer merchandise and unique finds for every room and in countless styles.

Crate and Barrel’s modern home furnishings store CB2 has just opened its ninth location in Georgetown.

The new location, a 12,000 sq foot building on M street, embodies the clean, modern aesthetic that has come to define the brand. CB2 offers the discerning urban dweller a wide array of clever and functional design solutions for the apartment, loft, home or office at very reasonable price points. The assortment includes highlights such as the Lotus Armless Chair and the Peekaboo console, a CB2 classic fashioned from transparent acrylic that easily accents any space. CB2 also offers a wide selection of home accessories including rugs, pillows and playful frills that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

If you love modern home furnishings, you simply must make this a stop on your next visit to Georgetown.

If you think resale means outdated and used clothing--think again! We recently took our models to Frilly Frocks where owner, Rebecca Kaselow, and her assistant picked out some wonderful examples that show that you don’t need to spend a fortune to look like you have.

Frilly Frocks
Building H, Suite 112
1603 Village Market Blvd SE Leesburg, VA 20175
703.858.4940
Known as “A Very Unique Contemporary Consignment Store,” Frilly Frocks’ mission is to provide the opportunity for families to be able to conveniently purchase the finest quality apparel at a fraction of the retail cost while providing a means to earn extra money by selling their outgrown and unused items. The store is owned and operated by Rebecca Kaselow, who says, “The inventory we receive is amazing! Since we are blessed to live in Loudoun County – the richest county in the nation – you can only imagine the exceptional items we receive at Frilly Frocks every day!” But to Rebecca, recycling and donating clothing and accessories to several organizations within Loudoun County is an important aspect of her business. She is also passionate about educating the public about exracing greyhounds and finding these wonderful animals “loving forever homes.” Her ultimate goal is to build and operate a kennel for greyhounds to stay while awaiting adoption. While enjoying a shopping “experience” at Frilly Frocks, you may also meet one of her greyhounds, who often frequent the store.