Parking was at a premium in front of the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce building Tuesday afternoon. A special ribbon cutting was being held to celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of Kelly Cornwell’s Dream Vacations. The business’ original opening took place in February of 2020 just before the COVID pandemic brought the entire travel industry to a halt.
Cornwell found it both heartwarming and encouraging to see so many chamber members gathered to help her celebrate the relaunch of Dream Vacations.
No one was more surprised by the great turnout in the chamber building at 1 Holly Avenue than Cornwell herself. She’d donned her company’s new Live Your Dream T-shirt in honor of the occasion and then wondered if anyone else would attend aside from her daughters Siobhan and Eva and her son Maurice.
Looking around the room, she discovered the familiar faces of chamber members she’d met at previous events – members aware of the challenges Cornwell faced as a result of COVID restrictions who had been rooting for her.
She was astonished when League introduced her and they all stood, applauded and offered words of welcome.
Chamber CEO Liz League introduced Dream Vacations’ Kelly Cornwell…… 
.…..to the applause of all.
Those chamber members were from a diverse range of small businesses and included, among others, Mark Belzer from First Financial Residential Loans, Jean Andrews from Long & Foster Real Estate, Jay Wenhold from Green Home Solutions, Laura Colquhoun from Macaroni Kid Pasadena , Christine Richardson from WLC Home Solutions, Danielle Ortiz from Cascades of Wellness , and Dawn Edgerton-Cameron from Edward Jones Investments.
Corwell first thanked everyone for coming. Then, asked by League how Dream Vacations came about, she explained.
“I have always loved to travel,” she said. “I was working at a job that wasn’t the best when my husband Maurice asked, ‘Kelly, why don’t you do something for yourself?”
She immediately replied that she didn’t know if she’d want to do that. But then her thoroughly unfulfilling job grew worse.
“I decided maybe I did want to do that. That’s when I discovered Dream Vacations online and fell in love with it,” she said.”
Dream Vacations is a franchise operation, however. At the time, Cornwell didn’t have the money to acquire a franchise but she really wanted one. As a person of faith, she asked the Lord for help. That very week, a belated inheritance from her father who’d passed away years earlier arrived in the form of a check for almost the exact amount of money she needed.
“I said a grateful ‘Thank you’ and bought my Dream Vacation franchise in September of 2019, started attracting clients, and left my job in February of 2020. Then the pandemic happened, and things were really rough. But I was never discouraged even when travel agents were saying they were going to quit because I knew that, if I’d gotten this far, it was supposed to happen and was going to get better.”
In answer to League’s inquiry whether she handled any trips during the most restrictive times of the pandemic or even when things improved, Cornwell replied that she booked and booked and booked but then cancelled, cancelled, cancelled.
In addition to the fact that she and her husband travelled in 2020, she did have two other people who booked trips with her that year.
Cornwell has been very thankful to see all forms of travel opening up from air travel to cruises and things getting back to normal. Her favorite place to visit at the moment is Puerto Rico but she’s traveled to so many places that she’s expert at arranging trips that suit her clients to a tee. She’s also a Certified Travel Advocate for people with health or mobility issues who can supply everything from wheelchairs or oxygen for people who need them to baby food.
“We’ll do everything for you but pack,” she says with a smile.
As happens at most ribbon cuttings, a number of political representatives were in attendance with citations to present Cornwell as a new but thriving member of the business community. Among them were Anne Arundel County Council Member Amanda Fiedler who praised her for her resiliency and determination and Maryland State Delegate Heather Bagnall who congratulated her for her long-awaited reopening and for making travelers’ vacation dreams come true.
Near the end of the event, there was a mad scramble, as attendees gathered in the center of the room for the ribbon cutting. Following the dramatic countdown and Kelly Cornwell’s quick snip of the ribbon, well-wishers crowded around her to offer congratulations.
For information on Kelly Cornwell’s Dream Vacations, visit Kelly Cornwell, Dream Vacations | Facebook.
New owners for Park Home
Tuesday afternoon’s sunny weather brought lots of customers through the door at Park Home which was wonderful for the shop’s new owners Brittany and Ted Meade. The couple had been working on the store for about a month after buying the business from former owners Scott and Heather Summers and opened their doors just two weeks ago.
Brittany, who brings an interior design background to the shop, was off on a buying trip but Ted was clearly enjoying helping the customers. He explained that he and Brittany have kept the coastal look for which Park Home has been known but added their own twist by adopting a nautical theme.
With more inventory still on the way, the shop’s furniture, artwork and accessories already exhibit that nautical flair.
The Meades really like their Park Home location at 568 Ritchie Highway in Park Plaza. Both are looking forward to the Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber’s SHOP LOCAL Fun Fiesta on May 7th in which they’ll be participating. For more information on the shop, visit Park Home – Beautiful Furnishings for Beautiful Homes (parkhomestyle.com) .
Macaroni Kid Pasadena Family Fun Fest
Laura Colquhoun has been busy giving out flyers for the Macaroni Kid Pasadena Family Fun Fest being held May 15 at Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Arnold. The Family Fun Fest will take place from 1 to 4 pm and will feature games, giveaways, door prizes, face painting, balloon twisting and the famous Jing Ying Lion Dance among other things. For information, visit Events & Activities for Kids and Families, Pasadena, CA, Things to Do | Macaroni KID Pasadena .
