Business name: The Paris House
Owner: Michele Rosenthal
Address: 16 West Springtown Road, Long Valley
Phone: (908) 876-4356; (908) 581-7200; (908) 876-9816
Web site: http://www.theparishouse.com/
Hours of operation: We are open by appointment only, and our online lifestyle magazine, http://www.theparishouse.com/, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a weekFounded: I have been planning parties for almost 20 years and have had my own business for around 15 years.
Type of business: A lifestyle business that provides party planning, design services and an online lifestyle magazine. I travel all over the world and bring back unique, one-of-a-kind items that I incorporate in my designs, party planning and online lifestyle magazine.
The vast majority of my design work comes from the inspiration I get on my travels. I teach a workshop called “The World Is My Playground, Entertaining and Design Ideas from around the World” out of my 200-year-old historic farmhouse. In my classes I give a filmstrip on various places in the world, mentioning highlights such as museums, where to shop, where to eat and what to see. My students receive handouts with menus and recipes inspired from that region (such as Paris, a Latin American soiree, Vermont, Cape May, England, etc.). The students can enjoy our gardens, sample appetizers and cocktails from the particular region while discussing great shortcuts and budget ideas for throwing a themed party.
We also host other entrepreneurial men and women in the area who come and talk about their businesses. We have a fashion stylist from France giving a talk in May in our tulip garden. She will talk about how to blend the chic style of Paris with our classic American girl style and finding a style that works for you. We have a Web designer coming in June to introduce us to the world of webmasters. My students leave with wonderful ideas, menus and handouts and even goodie bags on occasion.
I also am the editor and chief executive of an online lifestyle magazine, “The Paris House,” which is updated each month and is filled with recipes, fashion and beauty information, shopping on a budget, travel, family fun, pets, crafts, Bunny’s garden section, design, party planning tips, videos and much more. I write an article for The Well Fed Network on the Cooks Channel, where I share recipes and gadgets/products that I often find on my travels. I also write a blog that I update several times a week, which you can find on my online magazine http://www.theparishouse.com/. You can browse our online boutique that has items that have been carefully selected from around the world and are offered on a limited basis. One of our featured items is a beautiful birthstone ring, “The Earth Mother” ring for moms. We offer a high-end diamond and gem stone version as well as a much more affordable faux version (a portion of all sales go to various charities that The Paris House sponsors).
In addition, I am thrilled to have a children’s book I wrote accepted by a publisher. This has been one of my dreams and I am so excited to see it become a reality.
Why did you start the business? I love party planning and, after I had my first child 15 years ago, I decided to start my own company and continue to create beautiful events. The company has just evolved into a lifestyle business. Now, three sons later, it fits beautifully into our lives.
If you could do it again, what would you do differently? I would have started using a digital camera and BlackBerry sooner than I did. They save so much time and make blogging, Facebook and Twitter updates much easier.
What’s the best business advice your parents gave? You are very talented, keep pursuing your dreams and always have a positive attitude.
What personality trait helps you the most? I don’t require very much sleep and have a tremendous amount of energy. My eyes are always open, seeing things that inspire my creative endeavors. I keep my BlackBerry next to my bed so I can record ideas at anytime during the night as I often dream up titles of books and interesting ideas in my sleep. I wake up excited to start my day and that is a wonderful way to live.
What’s the hardest part of the job? That there are only 24 hours in the day.
The easiest? It is so much fun
What’s your least expensive product or service? My free advice.
The most expensive? High-end antiques that I ship back from Europe for clients and our high-end Earth Mother birthstone ring.
Describe your most unusual customer, job or work experience. I once planned a fashion show and the vast majority of my “models” were well over the age of 80. It was fabulous. Probably one of my favorite and most memorable events I ever planned.
When you leave the business, what will you do? I will never leave my business; I have never felt as energized, creative and fulfilled as I do now. It just keeps getting better.
In one sentence, tell us why customers should shop or visit the Paris House. We believe that you only have one life to live and it is important to live it beautifully. We create what some believe only to be a fantasy; The Paris House makes it a beautiful reality.
