So, what do you do all day?
That’s a really good question considering we wrote a very long letter that would mean we wouldn’t be in #TheCornerShop for five days a week!
It feels like an appropriate time for a quick side note before I begin: You should see how gloriously spacious The Corner Shop looks and feels! There is SO much space to breathe and think and to fill new Frocks with.
If you can imagine a Spring Clean in the Winter, we did just that. Chaya and I moved the small desks to the basement and set up a kind of cute, sitting area/meeting space should anyone want to say, have their Zoom therapy appointment in private. There’s now enough space for Chaya and me to dance in, we just hired our very own personal instructor, and the space gets rented for Zumba twice a week! (Email us if you want more info on the space when we’re not in it!)
We moved our large desktop computers to the generous white desks at the front of The Corner Shop, right by the window facing Rogers so we can wave at people on the days we are in the office.
Chani said she’s giving us until the new Spring shipment arrives to reclaim her territory. Until then, on off days, we share our desks with incoming and outgoing shipments. We’ve been selling our Frock Belts, the Lasso, and the Seat Belt, along with the long sleeve Brooklyn Top and matching wrap skirt in Khaki and Navy that Chaya and I have been wearing a lot. Scroll down to see these pictures.
We’re also relishing in liberating the season's gone Frocks from our closets in the sense that we are literally taking them out from the forgotten corners of our collection. It’s fun wearing old Frocks that we aren’t selling at the moment, which has us thinking how current they all seem, I think the word is timeless.
What isn’t timeless though is the time we have and we have come up with what feels like a balanced, attainable schedule that divides up home and work life in a way that feels busy, not draining.
MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS:
Monday and Wednesday are devoted to #TheCornerShop and everything Frock:
We divide the time between the present Frock, and The Frock to come.
The first FROCK LAUNCH has very much become our now, and that has meant discussions and voting and more voting on stories with you. Thank you for your input and GREAT TASTE! We are actually producing the colors that you chose.
We’ve connected with a previous fabric vendor and asked them to make us a custom order of the sensual Striped Cupro Fabric because we (all) wanted the Frock Boheme to come back in a silky version for all of Spring to come.
This first and new launch meant pattern adjustments, and sample fitting appointments to upgrade the fit in the upper arm, to a slight length increase based on popular demand.
An epic photoshoot and launch campaign are in order: GET READY.
The now also includes things like our presence on Instagram, including check-ins with updates on this journey, both practical and emotional. Our husbands were our most recent guests and they shared… A LOT.
Cath their pockets of insane wisdom, perspective, and understanding of The New Frock Era filled with humor here.
Our new, specific social media schedule includes planning what topics we’re going to story and when, the next guests for our LIVES, gravitating between posts and reels, and LIVES throughout the month which means mini shoots of ourselves, (self-timer is coming in handy), more wiring and brainstorming, and writing about it in our email newsletter and here!
We also did a deep dive into the how-we-wear our Shani Wigs, and the next LIVE is going to be about the whys. This is a BIG topic with a lot of feelings and opinions- we hope it will be meaningful and impactful.
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days' Chaya and I go solo and we fill them with things that fill us up, and with things that need to get done.
A group immersive Torah experiential class is one of the things along with yoga with Rikki, my fav Lia Bartha movement class, lunch dates with old and new friends (hit Chaya up she has open coffee date dates), dates with spouses, Spanish classes which I haven’t stated but hope to, and then things like opening mail and paying bills, making dentist appointments, orthodontist too, filling out camp forms (yes it’s already that time), basketball league, swimming lessons, Zara returns, Amazon returns, teacher conferences, food shopping and things like dropping off my vacuum to a repair shop and making sure I'm home to get the filter cleaned on my dryer changed. Chaya has officially begun her singing career. She debuted her first performance at her birthday bash she threw for herself and let me tell you, there were notes that were hit that we all roared to, and felt in our hearts. Keep your eyes out for more.
We do these kinds of things all without the guilt and stress of not working on those days. At least I’m trying. Playing catch up still feels kind of fresh, but as Chaya said in the previous newsless, it’s about progress, not perfection.
FRIDAYS
Friday is dedicated wholly to Shabbat, or whatever we can prepare for Shabbat by 12 pm before our kids get home. If we have time to take them out before Shabbat comes in, we do (it sounds amazing, we haven’t gotten to try that yet).
When Friday night rolls in we may still be exhausted, but it now has a chosen, filled-up feeling to it, not a driven-to-the-bone soreness.
We try not to schedule lives for Saturday nights only because we’re usually pooped, but it is fun to get a bag of popcorn on a Saturday night and tune into a good Live.
Our most recent LIVE was on a Workday Wednesday and over fifteen thousand of you were able to tune in. Thank you for taking the time and giving us the space to share.
It really does feel like we have opened a door for light to enter our personal spheres. Even when things are more challenging, it still feels like we’re in an overall ‘right’ flow. We hope this energy can trickle to you.
FUTURE FROCK
Chaya and I are using this time to relearn and train ourselves how to be, and give of ourselves as working women, mothers, and wives in a way that is enjoyable, productive, and sustainable.
There were so many things we were getting right about it, and so many little things we were getting wrong about it.
These includes things like a complete shift in mindset, to a complete overhaul of how we practically use our time.
We’ve spent these last few weeks going deeper inside, digging up truths about our relationship with social media:
The fear of not being on it.
The dependency on it.
The constant pressure to show up.
Learning that we can be here in healthy ways where we give of ourselves and learn from you.
Showing up because we have an energy and gift to share with the world.
The choice of showing up is more intentional, gratifying, and profitable in more ways than one.
We’ve been reaching out and connecting with other business owners, set up lunch dates with mentors and women we can ask questions to. We are here to learn.
All the things we’re doing, plus the things we are learning, and have yet to learn are here to help us ease into the new Frock Rhythm.
Essentially, we’ve always been dancing to the music of our lives. Now, we’re listening a little more closely and hearing a new beat.