We were all sad when Mary and Giff Jones retired from the FHA Board after ten years. Over the years they had transformed the Houseboatique (including the name) from a few items into a fun and imaginative assortment of houseboat-appropriate goodies for sale.
At the annual meeting in April, we were surprised and delighted that Tricia Rendina volunteered to take over this important source of FHA income. Tricia describes how this came about:
"I volunteered to help at the sign-in table at the annual meeting in April and at one point turned to Amalia Walton and said, 'Gosh, if there's ever any need for extra help at the Houseboatique, count me in.' The next thing I knew she literally towed me by the hand to the Houseboatique booth to introduce me to Giff and Mary Jones."
"It turns out that Giff and Mary were ready to hand over the sales reins to someone -- my slightly stunned presence was a very hopeful moment! Taking on their proprietorship role seemed a bit more than I'd intended, but having been the volunteer Marketing Director for the Washington State Blues Society a few years back made me think, hmmmmmm, perhaps this wasn't such a huge leap after all. So now I have a key to the Houseboatique, a list of inventory and a big smile on my face for being able to give back to our floating home community."
"I look forward to meeting you at our Holiday Houseboatique sale and showcasing some new products."