OAKLAND — The owners of a Venetian gondola service best known for fun photos shoots and ferrying kissing couples out onto Lake Merritt’s waters say they are hoping to gracefully change hands.
Angelino Sandrini and April Quinn opened for business in January 1999, ferrying thousands of curious couples and gleeful groups out from berths on the lake’s shores aboard their six-seat vessels over the years.
The service’s ups and downs haven’t only come atop waterways’ waves, but also through opportunities outside the city. When demand grew slack in 2005, the couple sought to make a go of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but floated to Oakland less than a year later, fulfilling a departing promise to return.
A second service with a new gondola anchored at Napa’s Main Street Public dock is also up for sale.
Sandrini said he appreciated the moments and memories made possible by supporters.
“And now after these 20 years, it is time to pass the torch to someone that came my dream and make it their own,” Sandrini said in part, citing Quinn’s work as an Oakland teacher and his own Italian wine-importing business, as well as the desire to spend time with his children, Beatrice and Orlando.
“This is a real opportunity for someone that loves the old world and enjoys making wonderful memories for people.”
In a 2014 column in this newspaper, Quinn alluded to the many first dates, anniversaries, proposals and photo shoots observed and celebrated aboard the service’s boats, and shared that the couple’s first kiss came on a Long Beach gondola ride.
“He told me it’s traditional to kiss when going under a bridge. So we did.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.