How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport?
DORI – We have 2 kids, Mia and Jonah. Mia is 14, a freshman at Staples this fall and Jonah is 12. We moved to Westport in 2012, from Weston.
TERRI – Our kids, Amber, Aaron and Jack, are 20, 18 and 14. We moved to Westport when I was pregnant with Aaron in 2003 from the city.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing? We’ve spoken so much of our journey to this place… after fulfilling careers in fashion and jewelry (Dori), and high-end contemporary furniture and interior design (Terri) we both took extended breaks to be full time moms. Over the years, we both worked on and off (primarily from home and for ourselves or local small businesses) but it wasn’t until 2020 (ironically) that we really found our niche. Although we had discussed combining our love of fashion and home design into some kind of a lifestyle brand / company over the course of our long friendship, 2020 was the year of consolidation, introspection and TIME. Time to walk, talk, think and slow down. A defunct Insta feed that was created in 2018 (@THINGSILOVE203) and not really used, became our initial creative outlet. Our goal was to create content, and highlight the amazing worlds of luxury fashion and interiors. Our business model was defined many months later when we discovered an art glass company out of Lancrans, France, who was making the MOST exquisite, original, HAVE TO HAVE! pieces. We contacted the artists about selling their work… and the business model really wrote itself from there.
What was your best memory from 2020, a strange year we know…2020 gave the gift of time and the ability to reflect and really figure out where we wanted our lives to go professionally. Slowing down, focusing on family, recognizing the fragility of life, and giving attention to our own aspirations.
What are you most looking forward to in 2021? 2021 has felt like a year of reintegration, regeneration and renewal. Now that life is slowly returning to pre-2020 “normal”, our goal was to launch THINGSILOVE203 and we are truly loving everything about it and watching it grow, mature, develop, morph and evolve.
What is the best show you have recently (binge) watched? AND/OR what is the last book you read?
Dori – L’Agence Parisienne (Netflix), obsessed and can’t stop googling the family!
Terri – The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferante on Audible. I binge “listened” to all 4 books walking, driving, cleaning, cooking!
What is one food you could not live without?
Dori – Cheese from Fairfield Cheese Co, it’s my vice and naughty indulgence
Terri – I always have a bag of Peanut M&M’s in my bag, on my desk and next to my bed!
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Dori – I’m 8 months older than my husband
Terri – Every member of my origin family lives on a different continent
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what do you think your career path might have been?
Dori – Professional Ballet Dancer
Terri – I always dreamed about being an architect… i just didn’t want to study architecture!
If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted to do, what would it be?
Dori – Sit in a cafe for hours with a good book and people watch
Terri – A day at the beach with family and friends.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why?
Dori – Family trip to Israel with my parents. My kids got to see where their grandfather grew up. Imagine three generations.. A living history.
Terri – we had an amazing family Safari in South Africa. My kids got to see how I spent my winter vacations as a child. Unplugging, being close to nature and so remote from the hectivity (hectic activity) of daily life was bliss.
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? What? We NEVER lie!
Are you a morning person, or a night owl? How does sleep fit into your life right now?
Dori– a night owl but i fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow.
Terri – I prefer not to waste time sleeping. And as I’m addicted to Coke Zero, this may remain my reality!
What thing has surprised you most about being in the suburbs?
Dori – The suburbs is my normal. Hard to remember life in the city since I’ve been here so long! I love the calmness of the burbs especially as I get older. I am surprised by how long it takes to get anywhere!
Terri – I never thought I would survive outside the city after 10 years there… but I absolutely love everything about it. The community, the sense of belonging, the quality of life.
What is the first thing you do when you walk in the door after a long day? Obviously (if you know us), we wash our hands!
Who in your life was – or is – the greatest inspiration for what you’re doing today? DORI & TERRI – Without question our mothers are our greatest inspiration in our lives. Thingsilove203 is built around our families. Our husbands and children, who will always remain our priority, have become embedded in our success. They have been involved in every aspect from marketing to packing boxes to graphic design to cheering us on. Our mothers have modeled strength, courage, support, unconditional love, and perseverance. They are our true heroes.
QUICK THIS OR THAT:
Cake or Pie? Neither–Peanut M&M’s
At a movie: Candy or Popcorn? Popcorn
Pancakes or Waffles? Huh?
Iced Coffee or Hot Coffee? Dori- Iced, Terri -Hot
Beach or Mountains? Beach all the way
Puzzle or Board Game? Board Game
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Reading or writing? Both
Ketchup or mustard? Mustard or neither
Watch or play sports? Huh?
Winter or summer? Summer!!!!!!!!
Comedy or Drama? Dramedy