Chamber Chat

By Gail Schnee, Co-Owner of Cotton Cotton Cotton and Becki Day, Executive Director of San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce…

Happy New Year! I would like to introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me, I am co-owner of Cotton Cotton Cotton with my husband Randy, and I have been elected as the new Chamber of Commerce President replacing Lauren Cohen for 2017. We hate to see Lauren go, she did a stellar job as past president, but she promises that she will continue to be active in the Chamber and we certainly appreciate all the hard work she has put in the past two years.

Randy and I moved to the island from Orlando, Florida in October 2009 and purchased Cotton Cotton Cotton in November of that year. We had come here on vacation in 2005 and fell in love with the island and the friendly community. It was our hope that we could find a business that could sustain us and allow us to give up our jobs in Florida and enjoy all the wonderful things that Friday Harbor has to offer. It took us 4 years but we were able to sell our house in Florida which allowed us to purchase the business and start our new lives here. We feel so lucky to be able to live and work here and now represent the Chamber of Commerce as your new Board President.

What drew us to Friday Harbor was the small town feel and the friendliness of the community. Coming from a big city, where you don’t know your neighbors, and your community is the company you work for, we longed for a place to live and work where people know you, care about you, and want you to be successful.

My goal is to continue to help grow the Chamber with our Executive Director and Chamber Board Members and support the local businesses to become more successful. I would like to wish a great success to all businesses and island residents in 2017.

January Social
We had the January Social last week at the Chamber’s new location, 165 First Street (where Cotton Cotton Cotton used to be) and the room was packed! Cynthia’s catered the event and San Juan Vineyards provided the beverages. A special thank you to the staff at the Chamber for all their hard work in getting it ready and welcoming all to their new office.

The new office is 300 square feet bigger which means there is more room for the members’ promotional rack cards. Another member benefit of our new location is that we have 3 nice windows in our storefront and we are starting a new program of featuring different members every month. Please stop by the new office if you haven’t already and check us out!

Featured Member of the Month
Paula West is our Featured Member of the Month for January. Paula started her studio in 1995 and has developed a well-designed style which has become recognized by locals and visitors alike. You can find her at her studio at 160 MacGinitie Road. Paula’s works are available for purchase at Café Demeter, Dominque’s House at Roche Harbor Resort and the Farmer’s Market.

New Member
We would like to welcome Robin’s Nest as our first new member of 2017. Robin Zemek started her business 21 years ago, and is located at 310 Spring Street. Robin is not only a full-service florist, but a designer of hundreds of weddings over the past 2 decades. Robin’s Nest is a brilliant mix of environmentally inspired creations and fresh Northwest talent. The store has one-of-a-kind treasures which change with the season.

(360) 378-6562
robinsnest [@] rockisland.com
http://www.robinsnestsanjuan.com

2017 Visitor Guide
We are proud to be partnering once again with Lawton Publishing to produce this important Chamber publication. Not only is Lawton a valued San Juan Island Chamber member, but they are also leaders in the field of Chamber publishing. Sue Tibbits, a Senior Account Executive with Lawton Publishing, will be contacting you soon to discuss your advertising in this Members-Only opportunity.

An outstanding benefit of being a member of the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce is being able to promote your business in the 2017-18 Visitor’s Guide and Business Directory. One of the Chamber’s most requested publications, the directory is given to all current and prospective chamber members and is used throughout our community. The Chamber also distributes this publication across the U.S. in response to inquiries from an extensive group of prospective customers who are interested in doing business in, visiting or relocating to San Juan Island.

An email with more details has been sent out to the members and if you have any questions please contact me at (360) 378-5240 or becki [@] sanjuanisland.org

Until next month – Cheers!

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