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Summer vacation…we eagerly anticipate it all year long, but before you know it, the back-to-school sales are beginning and kids have glum looks on their faces. There’s one place, though, where the learning environment is in full-swing during every season of the year and smiles grace the faces of children and adults – our merchant of the month, Educate & Celebrate!

With locations in Waldorf and Prince Frederick, Educate & Celebrate specializes in selling quality educational materials for use at home and in the classroom, including books, flash cards, stickers, bulletin board sets, games, interactive whiteboard software for smart boards, and children’s classic literature.  For older students, Educate & Celebrate offers Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation materials as well as the books recommended for preparing for the Advanced Placement (AP) examinations that earn students college credit while still in high school.   They also stock the summer required reading materials for both Calvert and Charles Counties and a host of materials for Sunday schools, preschools, and daycare centers.

Educate & Celebrate is the brainchild of Laurie Uherek of Huntingtown, Maryland.  Raised among a family of teachers, Laurie learned early in life that the quality of the educational materials is a vital part of ensuring a solid education for a child.  Her hometown hosted an educational store that stoked her desire to start her own business providing educational materials and supplies.  “There’s nothing better to sell than something that stimulates educating a child,” Laurie says. Entering her 20th year in business this October, Laurie has fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning such a store – and she owns two of them! The Prince Frederick store, established in October of 1991, offers a wide variety of items for family shoppers, while the Waldorf store, which opened in 2002, is geared toward teachers.

In addition to educational materials, Educate & Celebrate also sells school and preschool furniture, desks, chairs, mats, cots, chalk and white boards, overhead projectors, and learning carpets for classrooms.  They also feature educational and specialty toys and games that inspire critical thinking and stimulate the mind and encourage creativity.  For budding scientists, there are chemistry kits, erector sets, and DNA kits, too. Each year, Laurie attends the international toy fair in New York City to find unique or award-winning toys that compliment their market and who they serve.  They carry some licensed products (Thomas the Tank Engine and Calico Critters, to name a few), but Laurie enjoys offering unique products that can’t be found in the larger chain stores.

Laurie lives in Huntingtown with her husband and two children and takes pride in involving herself and her business in the community.  Educate & Celebrate partners with groups to help support causes, like autism awareness, the United Way, and the DARE program.  Laurie serves as Vice Chair of Calvert Memorial Hospital and is also very involved in the arts as the treasurer of Ann Marie Gardens, a sculpture garden and arts center in Solomons Island.  “Giving back to the community is what keeps me motivated and connected to the community,” Laurie says.

Join the staff at Educate & Celebrate on Friday, August 20th for an open-house.  Each store will be open from 9am-9pm offering free gifts with purchase, hourly drawings, refreshments, and a chance to win $500 in merchandise as a grand prize for the day.

Educate & Celebrate’s two locations are open Monday –Thursday from 10 AM to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday from 12 to 4 PM.

Prince Frederick location: Calvert Village Marketplace, 122 West Dares Beach Road

Waldorf location: St. Charles Towne Plaza, 1300 Smallwood Drive West