About Us

Mark Elliott
Mark grew up in North Carolina but “ran away to sea,” joining the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman in 1973 when he was 17. After seeing such exotic places as Chicago, Memphis (Tennessee, not Egypt), Camp Lejeune and Gulfport, Mississippi, he finally discovered Takoma Park when he was stationed at the Navy Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. After retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in 1993, Mark settled down in Takoma Park and proceeded to search for his new life path. After growing his hair long, trying life as a student, working as an office temp, a screener for drug trials and in a computer sweatshop, he was surprised to find his niche in the world of retail working at video stores and later at Chuck & Dave's (Takoma Park's late, lamented, independent bookstore). Mark reads mostly science-fiction (especially anything to do with time travel) and non-fiction (mostly history) although his favorite book (for the time being, at least) is Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger. His favorite movies are Sherman's March and Le Bal.


Kristin Ceccotti
Kristin was born in the picturesque city of Hackensack, NJ and grew up along the east coast -- Ohio, Vermont and Florida -- but she still considers herself a Jerseyite. She then spent four amazing years at Smith College in Northampton. With diploma in hand she journeyed to the west coast and joined Americorps, working for the Mental Health Agency of Alameda County. She also had a second job at an independent movie theatre where she got to see a lot of free movies. She then worked as a grant writer at a small mental health residential facility in Berkeley. At the time she lived in a co-op with six other crunchy twenty-somethings. While there she adopted Frank (a kitten that was abandoned by his stray mother). She and Frank moved back across the country 5 years ago. She is still in denial about the presidential elections (but has no current plans to move to Canada).

Her favorite non-fiction book remains Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel, and her favorite singers are still Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco.


Tika
Tika joined us at the end of March, 2004 from the Washington Animal Rescue League shelter. She spent many months there after having her right front leg amputated after being hit by a car. She does fine on three legs, though, and packs 100 pounds of attitude into 15 pounds of dog.

It takes Tika a few visits to be comfortable with other dogs, so if she and your dog haven't met yet, please knock first so we can introduce them.