LaRoque in the New York Times!

i can not tell you what it felt like to open the New York Times on sunday and read the sunday styles section. to be apart of an article that undoubtable rings true for so many americans is very gratifying.

do you consider yourself "successful now?" my mom asked on sunday as we both read.

this is what i told her:

success for me is making someone feel beautiful on an important day. finding beautiful fabric to turn into a fancy birthday frock... going to a place everyday that feels more like a living room than a retail space and cultivating relationships. even on the slow days, i do not question my choice to "abandon the cubical." the press along the way, especial this article, has been a priceless intrinsic reward. a small sign telling me not to give up my dream. when the rest of the world says hang up your hat and do something that offers a retirement plan and the like. i look back on articles that i have been featured in and i think, ive been an inspiration to someone. when the thought, was i in fact "crazy" to give up all that the corporate world has to offer crosses my mind, i always tell myself, its better to make a living off your own dream than than someone else. alex williams, the writer for the Times, put it best, "the dream job is a job and much as it is a dream." owning you own business is not always easy or fun.

this is my dream and weather i succeed or not i have gone against the odds, out on a limb, and tried. there is no company car or corporate 401k that would feel better than someone choosing to wear my piece of art. what an honor to share these pages with others like me who have taken a chance despite the odds. few things more rewarding than being able to make a living off of your life. and although,

there have been many times when i have had oatmeal for dinner and grey goose for desert, contemplating these questions and my bank account i have yet to regret my leap of faith.