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Catonsville business will take care of life's little details for those who don't have the time or desire to do so.
Bridget Gatewood said she and her mother, Iris Palmer, started Mason-Dixon Concierge
about a year ago to fill a need as well as to gain financial control of their own lives.
Gatewood, who continues to work part-time as an administrative assistant for the federal government,
said the company's services range from pet-walking and house- or pet-sitting, to bill-paying and event-planning.
In addition to running errands, she said, her business will also wait for customers.
Mason-Dixon Concierge will wait in line at the Maryland Vehicle Administration to renew
a license or registration or wait for a cable television, telephone or other repairman to arrive at a house or apartment.
"We do anything that's legal and ethical, basically," said Gatewood, who
lives in Catonsville and operates the business out of her house. "You name it, we do it."
Gatewood said they also have arrangements with hotels and apartment complexes in the
Baltimore metro area to provide services for guests and tenants.
Gatewood
said the most common request by a client is for the service to return purchases or gifts to stores.
The business didn't get many requests to buy gifts during the Christmas season,
but Gatewood said she expects business to pick up when people go on vacation this summer.
Both Gatewood, 43, and Palmer, 62, hope to go full-time with their business sometime this year.
The business is based at Gatewood's house, with the Baltimore National Pike address on Mason-Dixon's Web site for
mail delivery only, Gatewood said.
Costs of the service vary,
with a single service costing $45 an hour, or $35 if no travel is required.
She said packages broken down into five-, 10- and 15-hour tasks are also offered and can be paid monthly, quarterly
or annually. The two partners said they have yet to be surprised by any unusual requests.
The business typically serves 15 to 20 customers a week.
Clients give Mason-Dixon a list of items to do that could include one, five or 15 things for a week,
Gatewood said.
Palmer said she and her daughter are learning
how to effectively work together.
"We don't always agree,
but we always come to some sort of agreement for the benefit of the company," Palmer said. "We both have had to
learn to make concessions. When you're trying to get a business off the ground, disagreements can wreck (it)."
Gatewood said she does the paperwork and built the company's Web site, www.howcouldiserveyou.com, while Palmer is in charge of direct mailing advertising. Gatewood said they rely on temporary employees and independent contractors to do the
work, though between the two partners, they've done every job they've asked an employee to do.
Gatewood's background includes work for a veterinarian, as a security guard and
17 years in the Army while her mother was a housekeeper and enjoys planning events.
Palmer said she wanted something to keep her busy as she nears retirement from her current job as a
social worker for the State of Maryland.
"I don't want
to just retire and sit around doing nothing," said the Baltimore resident. "Because I'm older, it's given
me a new lease on life. It's motivated me to work beyond my years."
The business has also been a benefit for Gatewood.
"My
favorite part is having control of my life," she said. "I have control of my destiny now."
