Bobbi, we share a love of Montclair, New Jersey. I first discovered Montclair as a teenager visiting the area as a dear friend lived here on Upper Mountain. How did you come to find Montclair and make it home?
My husband found Montclair through a friend when we first started dating. We took a ride from the city and fell in love with its charm, parks and the way of life here. However, as a full time working makeup artist in New York, I had no intention to move to the suburbs. My husband convinced me to just look at houses and we fell in love with the first house we saw. We bought a total fixer upper and kept our apartment in New York for a while but then never stayed there once we moved.
What are the characteristics of our community that sealed the deal for you to stay long term?
The culture, the diversity and the lifestyle that exists here, all sealed the deal for me. We got a dog, and quickly met other dog parents. Then we had our first baby, and met other parents. By the time we had all three boys we were meeting great friends, joining swim clubs and the golf club, and adopting the amazing Montclair school system. The relaxed, casual feel of the restaurants and the plethora of culture, music, art that exists here makes this town what it is. I'm optimistic about the ever-changing stores and businesses that is keeping this town current and really great.
We're living in an era of entrepreneurism where technology as well as readily available information has paved the way for many to succeed across a variety of business and social cause platforms. What do you think of of the current environment, provided you built a brand at a time when the leaping off point was a lot more challenging?
Social media has certainly changed the game as far as getting the word out to as many people as possible, as fast as possible. With that said, you have to be careful as these platforms of course come with some downfalls regarding the integrity of the content being posted as well as the filters and retouching that set up unattainable ideas of 'perfection' and affect people’s self-esteem. Overall however, especially in regards to local businesses, social media has provided an affordable way to market and bring awareness to your brand. User Generated Content has helped propel small, local companies to be authorities in the area and has greatly contributed to their successes.
For anyone setting out to follow their passion in business, could you share a mantra to keep steady focus and continued perseverance?
Find what you love to do, work hard at it, take risks, surround yourself with good people, and be nice to everyone.
You are a catalyst behind Reach Out Montclair. What was the reason you joined this critical platform? What does it say about a brand's need for greater levels of community mindfullness?
A bunch of us saw the need for a support system to help the underserved who live in town and whose children go to our schools. There are so many of us who are grateful for the lives we've been able to lead with support from others and we love giving back this way. The Montclair couple Officer Garth and his wife Maddie had actually been doing all of this on their own. We are supporting their mission to help the community.
What does local mean to you? (philosophically, socially, environmentally)
Local means supporting small businesses in our town. I have been a regular customer of so many local businesses, and the relationships that evolve with each of these are convenient and very meaningful to me.
Tell us one thing about Montclair that only you or few people know.
Yogi Berra always rented a horse and buggy on Thanksgiving for his grandchildren and the neighborhood kids every yea
What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?
I love to start my day with an espresso, with a tablespoon of LAIRD coconut powder.