Rochelle (left) and Allison Straker
Photo: Daniel Shipp for BizBash
Dream Jobs: After starting their careers in separate industries, sisters Rochelle and Allison Straker realized they had a knack for helping organize events like conferences, receptions, and dinners at their respective jobs—Rochelle as a manager of recruitment at the Michener Institute and Allison as a business analyst at Bank of Montreal. “We both loved events, so we had a brainstorming dinner where we thought of ways we could make this [business] happen,” Rochelle says. Drawing from their own party-throwing experiences and their passion for design magazines, the sisters started a small-scale rental and decor company, Cry If I Want To.
The company caters to corporate, public, and private events such as the Aroni Awards and last summer’s Afri Village Street Festival. When the pair started buying dinnerware, accessories, and furniture in early 2007, they stored the purchases in their parents’ backyard barn in the suburbs. Last July, they opened a store in South Riverdale where they offer a small selection of retail items as well as event design services and product sourcing.Standout Style: When designing events, the sisters like using vertical space as opposed to horizontal, and having functional decor, like edible centerpieces made from carrots and celery. “We love clean lines, as well as some surprise and contrast,” Rochelle says, citing the cover of the Cry If I Want To rental catalogue—which features a modern white-clothed table in front of a wall of graffiti—as an example. Says Linsay Michael of Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, who worked with Cry If I Want To on a charity event called Eat to the Beat: “They’re really dedicated to their clients, and they’re really good at finding the most cost-effective options.”
Moving Up: Cry If I Want To currently shares its retail space with the home-decor business Liloo, but the sisters hope to move to a larger space next summer and take on bigger events. Rochelle and Allison are also planning on moving in together—but the decor might take some negotiation. “My apartment right now is white, black, and grey, with a few splashes of lime green,” Rochelle says. “My sister’s is red.”
The company caters to corporate, public, and private events such as the Aroni Awards and last summer’s Afri Village Street Festival. When the pair started buying dinnerware, accessories, and furniture in early 2007, they stored the purchases in their parents’ backyard barn in the suburbs. Last July, they opened a store in South Riverdale where they offer a small selection of retail items as well as event design services and product sourcing.Standout Style: When designing events, the sisters like using vertical space as opposed to horizontal, and having functional decor, like edible centerpieces made from carrots and celery. “We love clean lines, as well as some surprise and contrast,” Rochelle says, citing the cover of the Cry If I Want To rental catalogue—which features a modern white-clothed table in front of a wall of graffiti—as an example. Says Linsay Michael of Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, who worked with Cry If I Want To on a charity event called Eat to the Beat: “They’re really dedicated to their clients, and they’re really good at finding the most cost-effective options.”
Moving Up: Cry If I Want To currently shares its retail space with the home-decor business Liloo, but the sisters hope to move to a larger space next summer and take on bigger events. Rochelle and Allison are also planning on moving in together—but the decor might take some negotiation. “My apartment right now is white, black, and grey, with a few splashes of lime green,” Rochelle says. “My sister’s is red.”
