Saturday, September 1, 2007

Stacey "Doodles the Clown" (Frashure) Parzik

I really can’t believe it has been 20 years! I don’t feel that old despite all the energy my 2 rowdy boys zap out of me every day ;)

Ok…here goes:

After a summer home following graduation, I started my college adventures at UCSB with a major in Speech Communications and a desire to work behind the scenes in the music industry. I really enjoyed my time there working at Sam Goody and then managing a little mom and pop video store (wow records and videos…feelin’ dated here), being a part time nanny for a nice family, hosting a radio show at our campus radio station and “interning” at a nightclub on State Street that had live music. It was an awesome time…I got to interview and hang out with some pretty cool people like Thomas Dolby, Lions and Ghosts, Mission UK, John Doe and Exene, Chris Penn and more. Ask about my 21st birthday there…it was amazing!
Then one weekend clubbing in L.A. I met a boy and did the long distance thing for a bit then transferred up to CSUN adding another year to my pursuit of the B.A. and worked for a time at a restaurant/nightclub and managing a couple bands, then taking a part time job at a children’s entertainment company after the nightclub got insane.
As graduation approached I realized that enjoyed working with actual children more than grown men musicians who just acted like children, so when the opportunity to purchase the company I was working for at the time presented itself, I took it and at 25 became a small business owner of a children’s party entertainment company.
Things were tough at first…I had a retail storefront with a lease and a big payment so I made ends meet by dressing up as clowns and princesses during the day and cocktail waitressing at FM station and doorgirl at the Coconut Teaszer for a while at night, and the relationship was long past the needing to be over and done with, so I dumped him then rebounded BAD and married my first husband in 1996.
I moved the business out of the storefront and started working from home, but this relationship was worse than the other and after 4 years (and a 3 month old son at the time-bonrn March 2000) I left him and moved in with my parents for 10 months.
Everything started going really well….my son was a great baby and we had a lot of fun. Business was growing and I was a work at home mom, with my parents close by (we moved into a guest house at their neighbor’s after the initial 10 months) and I had lots of free time to do MOMS club and outings with other stay at home moms. When my son was 18 months old I joined the North Valley YMCA and when volunteering on their annual fundraising campaign, met my current husband, Paul, who was a director there. In November 2002 he proposed, we moved to Simi, and he was promoted to Executive Director at the Agoura Y. We married in June 2003 then bought our house in Woodland Hills in September 2003. In December 2004 another boy blessed our family.
Then some exciting things began happening with my business…in March 2006 a colleague of mine moved out of state and I purchased her company…so now I was running 2 businesses from home, then in November 2006 another colleague sold me his business, so now I have 3 companies! Last March, after some serious budgeting and number crunching, Paul and I decided to make our home businesses a family affair and he quit his job with the YMCA to help me run the businesses and care for the boys. It has been an exciting and interesting time!
In addition to children’s parties, our companies handle grand openings, company picnics, corporate events, singing telegrams and celebrity impersonators. We recently supplied the entertainment at and had a table at the Los Angeles Concierge Association Convention which was held at Sony Studios.
I have run into a couple people at parties (Nicole Rapp at an Arts and Crafts party, Allison Epstein—wasn’t I Cinderella when I saw you?) and Patti has booked my face painters for her Grand Openings a few times and my Santas last holiday season, saw Beth Macias when I had a booth at the Chatsworth Chamber event a couple months ago, but the only person I stay in touch with is Jamie (Dillon). Oh I also face painted at the middle school a few months ago…what a trip that was! I think they still have all the same records they played at our 8th grade dances judging from the music they played that day! That was fun! I offered to set up some kids entertainment for the picnic on the 14th, so Lisa and Carol let me know and all you Eagles with Eaglets, my kid’s co. site is http://www.partiesbystacey.com/

Stacey (Frashure) Parzik

1 comment:

Marie-Elena said...

I'm so glad I read your blog posting and followed up by looking at your website and then calling you. One of your employees, Molly, just came and entertained all of the kids at my daughter Rebecca's 3rd birthday. She and her friends had a great time.... especially with Limbo. Thanks!