We Started A Business
Updated: Dec 17, 2019
On March 15, 2019, we started a business. You see, my wife Marie, is a licensed acupuncturist and I am a certified yoga instructor. We decided to share our passion with the world by opening a Wellness Studio in Cambridge Maryland. We named our new venture “Fair Winds Wellness” as a tribute to the rich sailing history of the Chesapeake Bay and as a nod to the nautical blessing “Fair Winds and Following Seas”. Marie will run the day to day operations and practice acupuncture. I will be staying working at my day job with PRS Guitars, but I will teach a handful of yoga classes per week.
When we started the search for our location, we knew we needed a spot that ticked several boxes. First, we required a space large enough to house a yoga studio as well as several treatment rooms. We also needed to have ample parking available for guests. And finally, we had to stay within budget. We found our spot at 417 Academy street in Cambridge Maryland. The building, built in the 1950’s, started life as a Sears and Roebuck’s Automotive Center (the original logo is still visible through the paint on the back of the building). In the mid 1980’s, an orthodontist bought the building and ran his business there until he retired. When we bought it, the building was sadly outdated with green wallpaper and dark wood paneling, but it has "good bones".
The renovation process was long and laborious, but also exciting. It was fun knocking down walls and tearing up floors to discover hidden artifacts that had not seen the light of day for decades. For example, we found two hydraulic jacks buried in the floor of the yoga studio. Presumably these jacks were from the days of the Automotive center, but who knows, maybe the orthodontist could fix your teeth and drop your transmission in the same appointment? Those jacks, too heavy to move, remain buried in concrete, but now they are covered with oak flooring. Much of the renovation work we did ourselves, but the building had excessive amounts of plumbing and electricity, so we had to call in the pros to rework the pipes and wires. The entire rehab process took about three months to complete.
We are joined by a group of talented yoga teachers and practitioners, so we are able to operate as a full service wellness studio. Fair Winds Wellness offers acupuncture, yoga, massage, nutrition, cupping and more. We opened for business on June 9, 2019 and our official ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for August 1, 2019. Each and every one of you are invited and we hope to see you. We feel confident that tourists and locals alike will find some Zen in this little oasis on Academy Street.
