Chamber Chat

Here is the September 2015 of Chamber Chat, written by Lauren Cohen, Co-owner San Juan Canvas, LLC and Chamber of Commerce Board President…

The Far North Cafe – Contributed photo

On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Executive Director and staff, we would like to congratulate all of our Island businesses on a fantastic summer. We will look forward to hearing about the good (and not so good) regarding your season at the fall meetings that Becki Day will be holding with member business owners and managers. Hearing details from you helps the Chamber to better serve our members and visitors as well as advocate for the merchant community.

There is also a great deal to be learned from each other and we hope these gatherings are helpful to all involved. The Town still seems to be active with visitors and we hope that continues as we move into the next season.

New Members
We welcome the following new members to The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce:

• Foster Septic and Excavation owned by Richard Foster. They specialize in septic installation, repair, and inspection and are a fully licensed and bonded excavation company serving all of the San Juan Islands. Contact Richard at 370-5557 or fostersepticwa [@] gmail [.] com.
• Enamora Art Gallery and Studio owned by Alisha Merrick. Alisha is a talented artist working in glass on metal making jewelry, bowls, switch plates and other beautiful pieces. Her studio is located in Surina Business Park at 50 Malcom. She can be found on Facebook and ETSY as well.
• Whole Art owned by Teresa Smith. Teresa is a professional artist and art instructor. She works in watercolor and other media, capturing the essence of her subjects with vibrant colors. Teresa will have a piece displayed at the Chamber Visitors Center from October 1 through December 31. She can be reached at teresa [.] smith5 [@] gmail [.] com or 303-246-3208.
• Island Homewatch owned by Marjorie and Allan Smith. They specialize in the care and security of second homes, vacation homes, and investment properties for absentee owners. They offer services includes inspection and maintenance. They can be reached at 378-5437 or margie [@] islandhomewatch [.] com

Member Social
Thank you so much to Eric Bienenstock for hosting the September Chamber social at his new business The Far North Café. It is located directly across from the ferry landing at 85 Front Street. The place looks great and has a wonderful menu. Stop in and give the Far North Café a try.

Featured Business
We are happy to recognize Mark Gardner Photography as our randomly selected “Featured Business” for September. Mark is a talented photographer here on San Juan Island. Keep an eye out for a detailed press release.

Fall and Winter Fun
The month of October features the 8th annual Savor the San Juans. It is a celebration of food, farms and art that includes films, wine tasting, farm tours, festivals, art, and a lot of great food.

November brings us the Friday Harbor Film Festival on November 6,7 & 8. This fantastic event presents documentary films about the people, culture and environment that make up the Pacific Rim. Check out their website at www.fhff.org or visit their offices at 10 First Street.

December rings in the holiday season with our annual tree lighting on December 4. This year involves more than just the beautiful trees lighting up so let’s get EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD on San Juan Island to come out and welcome the season with great festivities that will include a visit from Santa this year. More details to be revealed…..

Many more events and activities for locals and visitors alike are happening in the next few months. Fun on San Juan Island doesn’t end with Labor Day. Check out the events calendar on the Chamber’s home page at www.sanjuanisland.org

Until next month. Cheers you all as we usher in the fall!

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