Why Pike Creek?

A lot of people ask me why I decided to open in Pike Creek. I personally never expected to open in Pike Creek, or Delaware in general, for that matter. Now that I have, I couldn’t be happier with the decision.

While I am not originally from Delaware, I did spend a lot of time in Hockessin and Bear as a kid since my cousins lived there. I also come from a UD family. My mom, sister, two of my aunts, two of my uncles, and two of my cousins went there. So I have always been familiar with the area even though I grew up in the PA suburbs of Philadelphia, moved to the Midwest for college, and moved back to the Philly area during the pandemic (see my backstory and why I chose to open a Mathnasium here).

When I decided to open a Mathnasium, I looked all over the Philadelphia area but was flexible with my location. I analyzed every available territory from New Castle County up through Trenton, from Conshohocken down through Washington Township, New Jersey. I drove every road, mapped out every school, and stepped foot into every suitable shopping center. By the time I finished this analysis, I had a strong understanding of the best places for a Mathnasium.

What exactly was I analyzing, though? Ultimately, I needed to find a place that needed supplemental math education, an educationally focused community of parents, a school system that was warm to private outside help, a place with available retail space, and an area where I could hire quality instructors. If any of those factors were missing, opening a Mathnasium would either not be feasible or not serve the community properly, both of which are fundamental to the mission.

When I first looked at the Newark/Pike Creek/Hockessin area, I wasn’t completely sure. The real estate options were there, and I surmised that the community and school systems were probably a good fit, but I needed to validate my findings. At this point, I called my aunt. She had lived in Hockessin for many years and sent her kids to The Independence School, so I knew she could give me insight into the community.

Our call was pretty brief. “Absolutely do it,” she said.

I then further tapped into my network to talk to more and more people in the community. Verifying that a Mathnasium would not only be a worthwhile endeavor but a welcome addition to the community was crucial to me because I fundamentally don’t want to open a business in a place that doesn’t need and want help. Over the course of about three weeks, I spoke to fifteen different parents in the area, all of which were enthusiastic about the idea of a Mathnasium coming to the community. I also connected with educators of public, charter, and private schools to understand their needs and appetites for supplemental education. Most educators were warm to the idea and all of them agreed that there is a need. During this period, I was able to talk with not only teachers but also administrators at the school and district levels. Across all of my conversations, the consensus was that a Mathnasium would be great for the community.

Why Pike Creek Specifically?

I knew that I wanted to open in Northern Delaware, west of Wilmington, but there were many options. I looked in Hockessin's notable areas, including Lantana Square. I checked out the options along Kirkwood Highway as well and explored Newark itself. After analyzing all these areas for the two main factors of convenience and quality, Pike Creek was the clear winner.

Convenience is a critical component of Mathnasium of Pike Creek. We strive to be accessible and easy to work with, which is why we will operate on a drop-in schedule from Day 1, meaning you can show up whenever you want–without an appointment–up to ten times per month. Likewise, being located in a central area to the families of Pike Creek, Hockessin, North Star, Greenville, and Newark was important because that is the population we intend to serve. Being on Limestone Road in the heart of Pike Creek was the best way to truly be within striking distance of the people of all of these communities.

As for quality, the Mathnasium needed to be in a safe and desirable shopping center. The Linden Hill Station shopping center, more easily known as “the same shopping center as Chuck Lager,” was the clear favorite and luckily had one vacant space remaining. The shopping center is a new and well-kept space. It also has a lot of tenants that suit the needs of parents. Given that Mathnasium is a place where students are dropped off for an hour, two to three times per week, parents need to make use of their free time. With options like StretchLab, Performance Driven Physical Therapy, Cafe Scallesa, Chuck Lager, Sola Salons, and Linden Nails all in the same shopping center, not to mention Acme, Edge Fitness, and OrangeTheory across the street, it was clear that parents could easily use the hour to get some alone time or get some chores done.

What Is To Come

Mathnasium of Pike Creek is coming May 1st. We are thrilled to be opening in such a vibrant area where education is a priority. Ultimately, that is the answer to the question, "why Pike Creek?"...Pike Creek needs and wants a Mathnasium.

In the meantime, feel free to reach out. We are an open book about our plans, and likewise, welcome your feedback and input as we become a trusted member of the community.