Podclair

Episode 30: Modclair

We speak with Ramel Ramnarine and Anthony Corona of Modclair, now in its second location on Valley Road. The duo discusses how they decided to open their showroom in Montclair, how they work to take their client's creativity to the max, and share some of their own favorite spots in town.

 

Episode 29: Johari

We speak with Deborah Furr of Johari on Church St. In three different locations and almost twenty years in Montclair, she shares her experience of working in swimwear, lingerie, and intimates, and why men should be informed about breast cancer as well as women.

Check out the show notes for links about bra fittings and other resources.

Episode 28: Le Souk

We speak with Jumana Jaber, who in 2013, packed up her family, locked up her house, handed a neighbor the key ... and became one of the millions of families to escape Syria.  In Damascus, the Syrian capital, Jumana taught art and theater design but thanks to the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund, Jumana found work taking her talent to Montclair State University. 

Just over a year ago, she opened the doors to Watchung Plaza's Le Souk which in the middle east is an outdoor marketplace.  There Jumana invites guests to gather, sip some tea and enjoy bites of authentic middle eastern treats, just like they would in her home city.  She also fills the shop with beautiful imported gifts from Syria, Turkey and Morocco. She hopes after listening, you just drop by to say "Good morning, Jumana."

Episode 27: Sofistafunk & CoCo

We speak with Arlinda McIntosh owner and designer of Sofistafunk, a local, zero-waste skirt and clothing company currently at the Hampton House pop-up shop through the holidays and Roz Connolly, owner of CoCo: An Experience, a clothing store on Bellevue Ave now in its twentieth year who was the first store to purchase Arlinda's designs 17 years ago. 

Check out this episode's show notes for more on these creative women.

 

Episode 26: Toni's Kitchen

We speak with Ann Mernin of Toni's Kitchen, which operates out of St. Luke's Episcopal Church 364 days a year. Ann shares how she got involved with the kitchen, what it takes to meet the needs of our local food insecure residents - and who Toni was in the first place.

Check out the show notes for links to volunteer or donate. Between now and 12/31/18, all donations will be doubled thanks to a dollar for dollar match.

Episode 25: Bark & Truffle

We speak with Judith Antelman founder of Bark and Truffle, a local, small-batch, organic specialty truffle and chocolate bark company inspired by her travels to France. This Montclair resident told us all about her adventures in chocolates, traveling, and how she came to Montclair "for a year" and, twenty years later, hasn't left.

Check out the show notes for links to some of Judith's cookbook recommendations and for the  kid's chocolate podcast episode mentioned in the show.

Episode 24: Ray's Luncheonette

We speak with Angelica Flores, owner of Ray's Luncheonette on the corner of North Willow and Walnut St. Serving Montclair for over 40 years, Angelica shares how she bought the cafe from her uncle, finished her college degree, and passionately contributes to humanitarian hurricane relief. 

Check out our show notes for links to upcoming events mentioned in this week's podclair postings segment.

Episode 23: Fleet Feet Sports

We speak with Dawn and John Fabbro, owners of Fleet Feet Sports on Bloomfield and Midland Avenues. They share how they met and turned their love of fitness and movement into a thirty year-old business along our main drag. Best of luck to our Montclair marathoners today!

 

Episode 22: Designing Buzz Panel - Montclair Festival Founders

In our final episode of our design week series, we offer a live recording of the Designing Buzz panel. Moderated by Montclair resident and CBS News anchor Jim Axelrod on October 21st, 2018, the panelists include all of the founders of our local festivals to share behind-the-scenes of how their festivals got off the ground and what inspires them to keep going.

Check out our show notes for links to all of the festivals represented at the panel and their upcoming 2019 dates.

Episode 21: Joyist

In our eighth episode of our Montclair Design Week series, we speak with Kacy Erdelyi owner of Joyist an organic functional foods cafe on Valley Road. She discusses her experience from her career in marketing to owning a small business. During design week she is co-sponsoring the Living You Workshop with Chelsea Square and hosted by Blanche Garcia of B. Garcia Designs and author of Empowered Design. 

Check out our show notes for the design team behind the Joyist decor, health links from Kacy, and also a previous podcast she was interviewed on, complete with a juice taste test.