After living in Florida for 23 years, Polly Blazakis was ready for a change.

She’d never been to Eureka Springs, but she found herself drawn to it.

“I was looking for specific demographics, region- wise,” she said. “Topography, land, trees, mountains. Eureka has all that stuff. And I wanted a small community as well. When I started plugging in the different things that I was looking for, Eureka Springs just kept popping up. And then I started researching Eureka Springs and what’s here. And it was everything that I was interested in.”

The biggest obstacle to Blazakis coming to Eureka Springs was finding a job.

“The thing is, the industry I’m in is very specific, so the odds of me getting a job here weren’t all that high,” she said.

Her plans also were delayed when she suffered a stroke in June 2022.

“I wanted to come here, and then I had my stroke,” she said. “And then when I got cleared, all of a sudden, lo and behold, there was a company that was hiring right here in Eureka Springs.”

That company was Vacasa, a property management firm that specializes in short-term rentals.

Vacasa had purchased Ozark Mountain Vacation Rentals in Eureka Springs. The company hired Blazakis as its assistant general manager for the state of Arkansas.

“Vacasa was interested in coming to Arkansas because Arkansas has a lot of tourism,” said Damon Henke. “Ozark Mountain Vacation Rentals, which I owned, was one of the major providers of short-term rentals. So they approached me as to selling. So I vetted Vacasa as a professional company who did have all the services and the experience needed. They have a full-service reservation desk. They carry maintenance in every market. They employ local housekeepers, local management so that they can respond quickly to any guest inquiries. They were certainly a professional company that has the capacity to handle Eureka Springs, and all of Arkansas for that matter.”

Since her arrival in Eureka Springs on June 1, 2023, Blazakis has immersed herself in the community. Whether it’s a fundraiser for the Eureka Springs Community Center, one of Eureka’s many parades, a Eureka Springs Rotary Club event or a Mardi Gras celebration, Blazakis is sure to be there.

“It’s exceeded every expectation that I had,” she said of her time in Eureka Springs. “I’ve been welcomed in. I became a Rotarian within the first three months. I’m affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce, friends with the community center because of my connections with Rotary.”

“I think sometimes someone coming from the outside with a fresh set of eyes allows a person to see exactly where you can support Eureka Springs and where there might be some gaps,” Henke said. “And Polly was certainly that person. She had a personality that fit in town. She quickly got involved with many levels of the city, which helped Vacasa tremendously to get a foothold here.”

Blazakis acknowledges that part of her motivation for being so active in the community is to present Vacasa in a positive light. Eureka Springs’ fierce sense of independence can sometimes create negative reactions to large corporations, but Blazakis said she wants to counter that perception.

“If people get to know me and they like me and then they find out what I do for a living, they’re like oh, they can’t be that bad because we like Polly, and she’s part of that company.”

Blazakis recently celebrated her 50th birthday by riding on a Krewe of Krazo float during a Mardi Gras parade and attending the Black Light Ball.

“You can’t do anything bigger and better than being surrounded by friends, coworkers, Rotarians and the community for your 50th birthday,” she said.