自我介绍

Taking over this small family business isn't always easy, but it is super rewarding! My parents and I made our first trip to Block Island in 1978, at the suggestion of a friend from elementary school in New York City, where I was born and raised. We all fell in love with Block Island immediately. My Mom grew up spending her summers at the seashore in Hampton Beach, NH. She was so happy to find The Sea Breeze (its original name), then a "diamond in the rough." What attracted my parents was the location and the charm of the property, with its small New England cottages. They also realized the potential to start up a family business, with their three daughters on board to help. The Sea Breeze Gallery was established on the premises in the early 1980s. Featuring local artists and RISD teachers and students and emerging artists from the NYC area. The SB Gallery was very unique at the time, as we were the first gallery on the island to showcase mixed media, including handmade pottery and glasswork. The 5 of us were then quickly knee-deep in renovations, stripping away years of paint, hunting down vintage furniture, paving the driveway, and planting the gardens. The Sea Breeze was transformed from an old boarding house into a 10-room Bed and Breakfast. The Inlet Cottage was originally built in the 1930s and used as a boarding house for the local fishing community. These 5 guestrooms, spread over 2 floors, remain in essence what we fell in love with about Block Island: the peacefulness, charm, and natural beauty. We were welcomed with open arms by the small year-round community. The business community here is a tight-knit group, many places have been run by the same families for generations. Forging solid relationships with local businesses and using as many local resources as possible, has been a goal since the beginning. And, keeping our footprint small, in order to remain sustainable. It is forever a balancing act for the small businesses here with a seasonal and remote location, relying on the ferry as our life-line. For many summers, we worked together as a family, running the Gallery and the B+B. My first job was the "chambermaid," now an outdated term for housekeeping. Perhaps due to my youth, I actually did love this job. Over the years, I found other work on the island as well, working in a t-shirt shop, and at a few restaurants. I also loved to windsurf in my spare time, and could be found most afternoons after work windsurfing in the Great Salt Pond. My parents became very involved in local politics, and were also founding members of The Committee for the Great Salt Pond and Scenic Block Island. My mom was also on the Town's Planning Board for many years. During a time of constant expansion on the island, worried that the natural landscape was under threat, my parents bought a parcel of land behind the property and donated it to The Land Trust, to keep it always as a piece of conservation land for all to enjoy. Fast forward to 2010, when I jumped back into The Sea Breeze again, taking over my mom's role, after she passed away. The Sea Breeze was again in need of some TLC. Each year during the off-season, we tackled renovations to maintain the charm of our weather-beaten little cottages. We've replaced many windows, doors, screens, shingles, porches, added new roofs, new bathrooms, new hot water systems, and a new breakfast kitchen. Just a few of the projects that keep us going. The Sea Breeze is still all about relaxation, rustic charm, a simpler life, delicious breakfasts, and nature conservation. Much praise (in fact all of it!) goes to our amazing, hard-working staff who keep the place in tip-top shape when I am not on-site. Our staff has many years of experience under their belts, and a real connection to the island. They each have their own story to tell! I travel between Block Island and Brooklyn, NY. I have my own family now with my husband Eric (a cinematographer) and our children Luca and Isabelle, who are both in college in Vancouver. Our kids grew up spending summers on Block Island since they were both babies, and have also worked on the island since they were young teenagers. The cycle has repeated itself! We all love Block Island and we all love to travel. We look forward to meeting you and sharing this special piece of the island with you.