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Meet Pat Bokina, Buyer & Manager of Our Gift Galleries

July 28, 2020

Pat Bokina is the buyer and manager of our Gift Galleries—that's where you'll find candles, elegant giftware, clocks, and of course, our Pet Palace. 

Pat's been part of The Little Traveler family for 34 years, which means she's seen more changes around the place than most. Her tenure with the store started in the Antiques department, and she's learned to adapt to change ever since. 

You know those fun themed luncheons served amid the treasures of Gift Galleries? You can thank Pat for those. She teamed up with our Cafe chef to bring back the store's traditional buffet luncheons and added new flare by theming each luncheon according to a holiday or season. We hope to bring these popular events back to you as soon as we can.  

Pat also coordinates favorite Traveler traditions like the Mother/Daughter/Grandmother breakfast, Holiday Entertaining Seminar, and History Breakfasts. Her hard work ethic, clever ideas, and tongue-in-cheek humor make working on events with her almost as much fun as attending them.

Her flexibility and can-do attitude are wonderful assets to have around as our store adapts to life during COVID-19. These days, you'll often find her greeting patrons at the door or overseeing the many different phases our Gift Gallery has gone through since our reopening—from Gift Gallery/Dress Gallery to Gift Gallery/Furniture Gallery and then back again to classic Gift Gallery. 

When asked about her favorite memories during her 34 years with the store, she points to "Buying trips in Europe with Mr. R." She's talking about Alvin Rosenthal, longtime co-owner of The Little Traveler until he passed away in 2014. "We shopped for antiques in England and France, and I enjoyed learning from him."

During one of those trips, she broke her wrist in London! But, as she says, "That's a whole other story for another time." We're going to hold her to telling us that story. 

What Pat cherishes most spans all three decades of her time at the Traveler. "The best part of working here is all the friends I've made over the years," she says.

Back at you, Pat. All of us who know her are so happy that we do. For all she's done to make The Little Traveler the special place that it is for so many people, she deserves a giant "pat" on the back.

Little Traveler
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