Del Play: The case for coachability

From our very first Dream Space meeting, it was crystal clear that Brittany Perna is whip smart and the kind of person you’d want on your team whether you’re playing Pictionary or battling a zombie apocalypse. Which is probably why she’s about to become DC area parents’ MVP. 

Del Play - The Toy Library of Alexandria will open its doors before the cherry blossoms return. 

As mom to 21-month-old Luca, Brittany had already experienced the frustration of buying toys for toddlers whose attention and activity levels rival squirrels on candy corn. Between the wasted time, ridiculous cost, and sustainability issues, Brittany knew something had to be done; as an educator-turned-software developer and…wait for it…champion figure skater and coach…she knew that solving this problem was her next move. 

Brittany had encountered the “toy library” concept in other cities and knew that this was exactly what she and her neighbor parents desperately needed. A stone’s throw from DC, Del Ray Alexandria is a delightful urban village bustling with growing families busting out of their smallish living spaces.

A walkable lending library where kids could play with a wide range of developmentally appropriate toys and act like kids – getting excited, playing, losing interest, moving on – all without the pleeeeeeeeeease buy this mommy pressure. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go stand near the toy aisle at Target for 20 minutes. See? Right. Moving on.)

Brittany did her homework. In the nooks and crannies of working full-time and momming, she set out to make things happen. After spinning her wheels trying to rent a space near her home in Del Ray – an already competitive retail leasing landscape – a smart friend sent her to Pedal, and in June 2024, Brittany started Dream Space.

Note: If you read that 👆 and thought is that a typo? It’s August 2026 now…that can’t be right! Oh, but it is, my friend. We’re not lying when we say it takes a loooooong time to get open. Luca is 48 months old now. Anyhow, back to Brittany. 

The story of the road to opening Del Play was not all that unique in that it was a lot longer and harder than anyone wanted. What made it unusual, however, were the dramatic turns of events that would knock a normal human completely off course. But not Brittany.

In thinking about how to tell her story, Abby, Faith and I wanted to tease out the single element – the x-factor, if you will  –  that most significantly contributed to her success. Just like all of our Pedal Retailers (Dream Space Brokerage clients in particular,) Brittany demonstrated the incredible diligence, endurance, vulnerability, and confidence required by the retail leasing process. But there was something else… 

We went round and round until we landed on the thing that we’ve never said out loud before. Brittany listened to us. She followed our guidance. In the most dramatic (and painful) moments, when others might have quit entirely or gone rogue to quiet their anxiety, Brittany trusted our direction and coaching even when the path ahead was completely unclear.

In the context of athletics, listening to one’s coach doesn’t seem extraordinary, but in retail real estate, it can be tough to trust your advisors… even when you know they’re far more experienced than you. As we’ve discussed many times before, the emotional intensity and extreme anxiety baked into the endeavor can make logical thinking difficult. 

But not for Brittany. 

Brittany’s journey was TOUGH. Of course it included all the run-of-the-mill frustrations and feats of endurance that mark every deal, but Brittany experienced more than one extraordinary “wow, never seen this before” moment where she could have accepted defeat.

👻 Like when we were moments away from lease execution – literally riiiiiiight there – when the landlord went dark. Gone. A ghost. 

🤔 Or like when we were moments away from lease execution on another space – literally riiiiiiiiight there – when the landlord decided that maybe he should explore redeveloping the property. 

Like the athlete she is, Brittany had a ton of hustle and heart, but those would only get her so far. Pedal had the perspective and experience to coach her through the hardest moments – even when they were shocking to all of us. 

Effective coaching (and brokering) comes from interlocking experience and perspective, and trusting the guidance – especially when you’re a first-timer in commercial real estate – affords game-changing advantages. 

In Dream Space, Brittany trained for a grind, and when it mattered most, she listened and trusted our game-time coaching. Over an unbelievable journey, Brittany’s own grit combined with her trust in our leadership got us, eventually, to a great deal. 

⛸️

Learn more and follow along Brittany’s journey at www.del-play.com, and if you know any kids who like toys in the DC area, get on the waiting list.