Opening celebration and dedication, The Corner Shop.

“I can never predict when the tears are going to come, and sometimes I’m better at composing myself than others. But tonight seems like a fitting event for tears to accompany the smiles, the feelings of pride and accomplishment because Shua is so missed. He would have loved to have been here, watching us create, watching us grow and watching us forever dream big. I can see him so clearly standing in the crowd with you all, Raul, he probably would have been standing next to you, with a huge grin spread across his face as he would ever so casually be looking around feeling very, very proud of The Frock NYC and specifically tonight, our collaboration with renowned photographer and dear friend, Raul Tovar.

Tonight, we mark the official opening of our new workspace, The Corner Shop, our Chanukat Habayit as it is known in Hebrew. The word Chanukat means to dedicate.
As it almost approaches one year since Shua’s passing, we’d like to dedicate the official opening of our new studio The Corner Shop, to Shua.

I remember when we had spent weeks looking for a new space, my living room kept sending us eviction notices. We had seen a couple of spaces but none of them felt right. We kept driving past this very cute vacant shop on the corner that had an almost permanent “moving” sign on it, but for some reason were unsuccessful at getting in touch with the landlord. For days we kept leaving messages, trying to figure out how on earth we would get in touch with this unreachable space.
After a few days of waiting and calling, I was by Shua and said, c’mon Shu, help us out here, we need a new space and we need some direction.

On the way home, my phone rang. The landlord finally decided to call us back. And It was meant to be.

But getting to this stage and place is about so much more than our physical expansion and our growth as a business.

Tonight, we are stopping, pausing and recognizing our emotional journey and what it has taken for us to get to where we are tonight, with you all.

The photographs on exhibition are a passion project of sorts. A chance for Chaya and me to do something beyond what we’re selling, not about any business plan or a deadline we have to meet. A dream we never give ourselves time to pursue.

We we are only the sum of our moving parts, and it is a credit to our incredible team that we have been able to actualize our artistic passion.
So I’d like to take a moment and thank those who have helped us make it here tonight, in one piece, still functioning and alive.
Chaya, for being my creative soul mate and everything else that you are,
Tirzah, for being the emotional and physical shoulder and COO of The Frock all at the same time.
Sharon, for being an exemplary captain of this ship. Making sure every single day that we not only stay afloat but that our sails are soaring. We wouldn’t be here without you.
Zarie, for the execution of an event that needed your expertise.
Rishe, for helping me unleash the goddess within and then getting it down on paper.
Moshe, for being everything and anything you need to be to support
Our dear friends, who are the family we lean on and get styling pieces from.
Rii, Yoni. and the rest of team frock for
And all our siblings near and far
Mum and #OurDadtherabbi, for coming all the way from Australia to be here tonight.
Shua’s Mom, for driving in all the way from Cleveland

I saved the best for last. Raul Tovar. The man behind the lens who helped us bring our vision to the forefront.
We have had the privilege and honor to join forces with, but more so to learn from the illustrious photographer, who we can also call, our dear friend.

Raul, when we met you five years ago, you and Shua were by far the 2 most handsome Latino men in the room.

Raul, you have become an integral part of our Shabbat Dinners, and Rosh Hashanah celebrations ever since. I think Shua felt like he had finally met his Latino counterpart. When we found out that Shua and Raul also shared the same birthday, we knew it was a match made in heaven.

We’ve been following Raul’s career since he first landed in New York, Crown Heights to be exact, and watched his real life, ‘concrete jungle where dreams are made of’ tale unfold.
We’ve gushed over his list of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Chanel, Kardashian, and Jenner accomplishments not to mention WindowsWear.
But tonight, it feels as though everything has come full circle that we are together again, back in Brooklyn, where it all began and I have no doubt that Shua is here as well.

Together, we invite all of you to look inside and experience your own inner journey as we take you along ours.
The Frock Journey: A Heroine’s Story applauds, recognizes and celebrates the hero, and heroine within each of us.

It’s about looking within, even when we feel completely bare, and establishing a strong base from that vulnerability. Having a secure foundation, in wardrobe or in life, gives us the stability from which we can push ourselves forward and thrive.

So we begin and end with our childhood friend Vanessa, who represents the “home” within us all.
We started simply, basic- that is our core.

Chaya and I kept thinking about how we were going to style the shoot- what other designer pieces and accessories we were we going to add to make it fabulous.

And then we came to this very real conclusion:
Could it be that we already had everything we need?

Every look was created using only Frocks. We cut some over here, added a few more over there. We drew inspiration from our base and used it as a springboard to explore our options and add in our own voice while remaining firmly grounded through the basics.

This past year shook me to the core of my own existence, who I am as a person, and made Chaya and I rethink where we were going with The Frock.

My very essence of being was so intertwined with Shua I’ve been struggling to find my core without him. It has taken me time to realize that my core is and will forever be made up of: part me, what I make of it, and part Shua- for we are two halves a whole.

Understanding and strengthening my core gives me the courage to make it to the next day, attack a new obstacle at work, and survive.

Because I know Shua, my base, my basics are always there.

The Frock Journey is about digging deep and finding the strengths inside we never knew existed. At first, we were timid, bc we weren’t sure how to ‘be’ this person we never knew.

And then slowly, we become more comfortable in our skin we never knew we had, but always wanted to find.
We learn to use what we have to their fullest capacity, so we can soar.
We become brave enough to feel fear, comfortable enough to pull out all our stops.
We are proud enough to embrace our flaws because we have come to understand and appreciate, that all of this, is me.
This is when we find the courage to be more than what we were told we are.
The blank canvas we thought we knew is now full of color, depth, and layers and we are proud to show it.
Only then can you unleash the possibilities and release your inner heroine.

Whenever we say goodbye to our parents, our dad always says, ‘keep the dream alive’! And tonight, with the support of all of you Chaya and I can say to each other, I will say to Shua, we’re keeping the dream Alive. The Frock Lives.”