Profile: Roselle Agles

■  BY SUE ERWIN
You might see her cruising around town in her pink golf cart or walking the beach with her giant white “polar bear,” a Samoyed canine name Sage. Roselle Agles makes her way around the island daily. When she isn’t busy working as a Realtor for Gulf Coast International Properties, you can find her serving as vice president of the Boca Grande Garden Club, on the board at the Boca Grande Historical Society or teaching art at The Island School.
Many have asked her: “What don’t you do?”
She sure doesn’t sit around and let opportunities pass by.
And she’s passionate about many things, like the environment, humanity, education and the arts.
“My list of priorities is God, family, career, friends and being involved in community service,” Roselle said. “Giving back to the community is very important to me.”
She likes to think big and make it happen.
“Success comes in all shapes and sizes. Anyone who really knows me or who has worked with me, knows I love to leave sparkles wherever I go (literally and figuratively). I try to model the behavior I would like to see in others,” she said.
Roselle was born in St. Louis, Missouri and comes from an artistic family. Her parents, Pat and Chuck, owned the Galleria, an international art gallery that once existed in what is now Michael Saunders Real Estate on the island.
“I had just graduated from college and was living in Michigan, and they asked me to come down and manage it, so of course I said yes,” she said.
For the next several years she did quite a bit of traveling, including going to Asia to purchase artifacts for the gallery. She visited very remote sites and discovered many rare items and brought them back to the island.
“I had such a great time at the Galleria. We played international music and had drum circles. It was really a lot of fun.”
Roselle also managed Jangala, the first and only all-organic café on the island. It was inside the Galleria. Her parents were also founding members of the Boca Grande Historical Society. Pat just completed serving a term as president of the organization.
When Roselle was 12, her family moved to Dunwoody, Georgia, and they lived there for three years. Then they moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where Roselle attended high school and college. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a focus on visual arts from Albion College in Michigan and a master’s degree in education with a focus on leadership and administration from Regis University in Colorado. Roselle has been in sales since she was 12 years old.
“My parents always had an antique shop or art gallery or something,” she said. “I helped out after school and on the weekends. It is in my blood, selling. I love it. There is something very gratifying about connecting people to something they really want or need, and making it happen for them, making the connection.”
Roselle first came to Boca Grande in 1985 and vacationed here with her family as a child, teen and young adult. She spent summer vacations, Christmas and spring breaks here every year. Her parents purchased their first home on Gilchirst Avenue through Connie Seale.
“I moved here and then left, came back, left, came back, many times,” she said. “And each time I came back, the island embraced me a little more, a little tighter, bigger hugs and lots of love all around. I eventually figured out that this is home, this is where my heart is, my family, friends, career. How blessed I am to live, work, play and be a part of this special community. I know this and I cherish it every day. I am grateful for the beauty and love that surrounds this magical little island.”
Even though her parents were very much involved in the corporate life and travel, Roselle said they always had something fun happening on the side that involved the arts. They collected antiques, textiles and other kinds of art. They were quite the entrepreneurs, and she credits them for getting the opportunity to experience the finer things in life, like the luxury of travel.
Roselle has lived all over the country and travelled internationally building relationships, respecting the environment and supporting communities. Her family has owned properties in Boca Grande since 1985. Some of the favorite places she’s lived in include Aspen, Colorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico and of course Boca Grande. Her favorite travels include Indonesia, Hawaii and California. She lived in Sante Fe for five years and taught kindergarten and religion at a Catholic school. Her parents also purchased a home there and lived just a few blocks away.
“It was great, but I missed the water,” she said. “The mountains were beautiful, but it was so dry, and I’m an Aquarian, so I need to be near water,” she said.
So the family decided to move back in 2012. Roselle has been an artist all of her life. After college she spent a great amount of time painting and selling her artwork, but these days she said she’d much rather let her creativity flow by teaching art.
“I prefer teaching students how to create art so I work through them and find it very gratifying,” she said.
Since she loved the idea of selling, she earned her real estate license several years ago and started working at Parsley-Baldwin Realty on the island. Roselle is a certified real estate sales associate, a member of the Florida Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors and Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate. She specializes in waterfront and investment properties. Her career, background and knowledge of the area, along with her creative approach to real estate, add value for her clients.
Roselle has two fabulous teenagers, Noah and Zoe, and one sister, Mary, who lives in Michigan with her husband and two teenagers.
Her dog Sage is a purebred Samoyed, an arctic breed that is used in herding and as sled dogs.
“She is my best friend,” Roselle said. “She’s going to be 10 in June. She has a love-hate relationship with Florida, though – she loves the beach but misses the snow. We don’t go out for too long in the summer months.”
Roselle said her favorite part about living and working in Boca Grande is the great sense of community, the wonderful people she meets and the fact that her clients become very good friends.
“It’s amazing to make a connection with people and then help them get something they want. And it’s wonderful to be able to introduce people to this special community.”
Roselle is a parishioner at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, where she serves as a lay minister, ministry coordinator and flower coordinator. She’s also a member of the Barrier Island Parks Society and several other organizations.