Most people mark the end of a long stretch of their career by having a drink with colleagues or perhaps a dinner at the club. Angela Blankinchip did it by donating a kidney to her sister-in-law.
For 10 years, Blankinchip has owned Showhomes of Mobile and Baldwin counties, a franchise that works with Realtors to stage homes for sale. Founded in 1986, Showhomes has helped Realtors and homeowners sell more than 25, 000 residential properties worth more than $8.5 billion, by transforming high-end vacant houses into fully furnished, inviting residences.
“I just decided it was time to move on to the next chapter of my life, take care of my aging parents, ” Blankinchip said. About the same time her sister-in-law came up needing a kidney. “I was the second one to be tested and I was a match, ” she said. The timing seemed perfect to hand the business over to a longtime friend.
The surgery went as-expected in mid-December, everyone’s well, and new Showhomes owner Kim Odom now goes to work in a business described this way by her predecessor: “The prettiest house wins the beauty contest, same way as the prettiest girl.”
“We want to grow the Baldwin County area more into Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and we’ve partnered with Sherwin Williams for colors and floor samples, ” Odom said. “We’re still staging but we’re also offering updates for someone who just wants to freshen up a home who’s planning to stay a while, ” she said.
For more information visit showhomes.com.
Text by Dave Helms
