Dreaming BIG

Sometimes I walk into 11 East 10th Street and have an overwhelming surreal feeling. I look around at the inside of that building, at Rosa Lee, and with a smile…or a long stare…or tears in my eyes…or even a word of thanksgiving spoken outloud, I almost can’t believe its even real.  The building is beautiful-yes.  The clothing and jewelry are all beautiful-yes.  But the people…the people who enter those doors…thats the real reason for the emotions.  The women who walk out feeling so much better than when they arrived…the ones who are going through some of the hardest struggles, but yet somehow leave with a smile…the ones who give hugs and the ones who happily strike a pose for a picture in a new outfit…these are the reasons I smile when I’m alone. These are the reasons for the silent tears at times.

     I think of the words my father would ask me as a graduating senior from high school, “What is it you want to ‘be’…what do you want to do with your life”?  

My reply was always consistent and simple. 

“I just want to make people happy.”

He would look at me with skepticism…”You can’t make a living doing that”. 

Sorry dad, but yes I can.  And I do.  I know he’d be proud…he’d probably be right beside me.

     As simpleminded and maybe even immature as that statement may seem to some, it was truth in my words. Deep truth. 

Its always been inside of me…to make someone smile or laugh.  Just to make people happy.  

But as a high school senior about to embark on some type of future education…I never could find a university that had a degree entitled, “Make people happy”.

     So I searched.  For almost a lifetime. 

I searched how to make a living by making people happy. 

But…first things first.  I had to discover the key.  And I did.  

First, I had to find happiness …TRUE happiness with and IN myself. 

So the journey began…it was long.  It was hard. And at times I wanted to give up and give in…but I never did.  I came close at times…but something inside of me kept pushing me…hard.

     And so...I found my niche’.  I would make people happy by helping them find joy in themselves…through friendship and kindness, and new items that made them feel beautiful…or things to give to someone else that made them feel beautiful on the inside.  All in all, the end result was happiness. And THAT’S what I wanted to do. 

     Fast forward 30 years, and many trials, hills and valleys later…and a huge dream…a woman name Rosa Lee…and a God full of love and grace...and you have a place called Rosa Lee.  As a woman, I’ve always loved playing dress up and loved starting trends or at least keeping up with them...and my love for jewelry is border line obsession…thus, it helped create a world where all ages and statuses of women can come to find the perfect outfit or accessory.  

     But most importantly…a place was created that women can come to chat and share stories, to shed tears and find friends.  The decades of dreams and visions and sketches and jotting down notes…and endless prayers finally came true…it’s the place...the 'experience' I always dreamed of.  

It’s Rosa Lee.

It’s just the way it is..It’s what will always be…and when the “most importantly” changes or diminishes, I will retire. 

In other words, I plan on staying for a lifetime. Or for the rest of mine anyway... 

     Hope to see you soon at Rosa Lee.  It’s the place to come when you just need to…smile. 

P.s.  heres a gift to you... good thru July 10, use the word GIFT as your discount code at checkout on the website and receive 20% your entire purchase!!! We love our customers!

—dara