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Web-Shops.Net is an E-commerce
company that operates web sites specializing in
E D U T A I N M E N T products.
It all began many years ago when Marvin
and Leslie Broyhill tried to instill in their two young sons a sense of
curiosity about the world in which they live. They felt that learning
should be fun, a combination of education and entertainment. Various
Family Expeditions resulted in the accumulation of many natural
artifacts, such as fossils, minerals, seashells, etc. and a large
collection of related books. The family library became a Natural History
Museum. It was "Show-and-Tell" headquarters for the
neighborhood. Plus there were telescopes, microscopes, chemistry sets
and a host of science projects. Many of these things were virtually impossible
to find in central Virginia. Parents of other children constantly
asked the Broyhills how they could get them. This revealed the need for
a means to support home education activities.
In 1991, Mr. Broyhill renovated the Appomattox
Iron Works into a living history museum. Located in Petersburg,
Va., it had the largest collection of early machine tools in the U.S.
Many were belt driven and powered by steam engines. He wrote research
bulletins on its many resources, the educational field trip program and
lesson plans for teachers. The museum gift shop was conceived and
developed in accordance with the edutainment concept. Then, on
August 6, 1993, the worst tornado in Virginia history devastated
Petersburg's Old Towne Historic District. For all practical
purposes, the AIW was destroyed.
Convinced of the need for edutainment
resources, Mr. Broyhill began developing a
web site to offer such products. Preparation
of web pages began in the Fall of 1996 and the site was first published
in March 1997 as "einsteins-emporium.com"
Due to a slew of technical problems the site did not become fully
functional until September, but was an instant success. The
edutainment concept quickly proved viable and the web
site constantly expanded. It now offers over 10,000 products
divided into five major realms: The Universe, The Earth, Life on Earth,
Science and Technology. Each contains a number of
departments. For example, "Earth" consists of Geology,
Geography, Weather, Ecology, Minerals and Fossils. A sixth Realm,
Omnibus, offers products common to the other five, such as posters
and books.
It quickly became evident that a great many adults were also interested in the world in
which we live. This led to a substantial widening of the product mix so
that each subject begins with resources suitable for children, but
increases in complexity to carry them through high school and
college. Many products are also suitable for professionals. The
business has enjoyed incredible growth, generally fifteen to twenty
percent per month. New products are
constantly being added and the product offering is constantly expanding.
Some departments proved so popular and had
grown so large they were used to create a website dedicated to a
specialized subject. In
fall of 1998, Science-Store.com
was first published. It is identical to einsteins-emporium.com,
but is used to test new programs and products. In Spring of 1999,
the multi-site operations led to reorganizing the business under the
name of Web-Shops.Net. It
occupies a 28,000 square foot facility in historic Petersburg, Virginia
and services customers all over the world. The greatest source of satisfaction is the many phone calls, emails and letters received from parents
thanking us for providing the means to instill a sense of curiosity
in their children and for the means to satisfy their own. |
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