(Voiceover) Since 1980 the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Programs have generated over $5 billion in physical improvements, nearly 27,000 net new businesses, and more than 100,000 net new jobs. Much of the work to revitalize business districts is being done by small business owners.

Bill and Joan Keller left an upscale mall to buy this building in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter. They'll tell you why and how they made the big change. Also, you'll hear from our viewers and direct marketer Parvin Salehi.

Every week on SMALL BUSINESS SCHOOL, we take you into our Master Class. This is not a class like you take in school, this is a real-life classroom, where small-business owners explain how they do what they do. Step into the small business master class, with Bill and Joan Keller.

BILL KELLER (Co-owner, Le Travel Store): (Voiceover) Like so many people of my age, you know, I'd started traveling with the family in the Ford station wagon, cross country, staying in travel lodges, camping, you know, cutting my travel teeth as a kid with my parents.

HATTIE: (Voiceover) Joan and Bill Keller love to travel.

JOAN KELLER (Co-owner, Le Travel Store): I adore it. I love it.

HATTIE: (Voiceover) And they're sharing that love with their customers. They've been sending them around the world for over 20 years. Bill and Joan own Le Travel Store. Under your shirt? JOAN: Under your clothing.

HATTIE: All right.

JOAN: When I met Bill, he was at Grossmont College and he had--he was working out of a briefcase selling charter flights. He was in college, and I was at the same school when we met.

BILL: Well, there weren't a lot of direct opportunities that I could see in pursuing, you know, my Chinese studies major that I was finishing up with. But while I was at the University of California at San Diego, I had run a travel office on campus, sending people to Europe.

JOAN: Well, he drew me into the business days after we met when he had me sitting on the lawn stamping his name and address on brochures for him to hand out.

HATTIE: Oh, he recruited you immediately.

JOAN: Right away. He sucked me in. Well, I'll tell you the first thing Bill said to me when we met. We had established that we both had traveled in Europe and we loved the experience. And Bill said, `Do you want to go to South America?' And I said, `Well, sure.' You know, what else is the answer to a question like that? We set off, our very first trip together--this was before we were married--south from San Diego, taking buses and trains, and hitchhiking through Mexico. And it was a great adventure and a wonderful trip. In fact, we broke up on the road, and about a week later, I checked into a hotel in Merida, in the Yucatan Peninsula, and checking into the same hotel at the same time was Bill.