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A Mother's Love And A Daughter's Dream: The Mom Behind The HSFT Designer

May 13, 2017 14:18

Have Some Fun Today is a lifestyle brand that’s got soul. The roots of our company began in the mantra that our founder’s late father used to say to his kids when they set out for a new day. Have Some Fun Today. Those words stuck. They set in motion a mindset and a philosophy that HSFT founder Stephanie Rado Taormina never forgot. And after his passing, she decided it was a mindset and philosophy she wanted to share with the world.

“I think it probably makes her feel closer to her Dad,” says Stephanie’s mom, Elaine Rado, of her daughter’s company. “Joe always encouraged all of them and I think when her Dad died, she just realized what a great thing that saying was.”

The Humble Beginnings of Barbies and Nuns

Stephanie is the oldest of five siblings. Her mother says it was clear from the beginning that her first born daughter was creative. “She was always an interior decorator and fashion designer,” she says.

“Barbie World” took up a large portion of the basement where Stephanie and her three sisters could dream up anything they wanted. It’s no wonder those early days of creative expression and playing with Barbies would lead to her working in the fashion industry, becoming an artist and an interior designer.

“She was always creative, from the time she was little. I can remember the nuns at school telling me she was always day dreaming. She was a good student, but she was always in another place,” she remembers. “She entered an art contest and she won. She did beautiful art work, even back then.”

What was it like raising five children?

“Juggling!” she says, laughing. “It was always a balancing act.” Her four daughters and son kept her on the go.

All five of the Rado children were encouraged to be individually expressive and creative. “…. as long as they weren’t doing anything wrong,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. Elaine says the creative thinking runs in the family.

Elaine credits her own parents with instilling in her a strong work ethic, which she thinks her children have inherited. Her parents both worked long hours, her dad working 7 days a week. She was raised the only girl in an Italian family with three brothers, and was expected to help with the cleaning and the chores. “My kids have picked up those values. They are not afraid of work,” she says proudly.

She and her husband Joe were six months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary when he passed a few years ago. She says it was after he died when she realized the impact he’d had on so many people. A former high school teacher and wrestling coach, he served as a mentor to many kids. Weekly steak dinners at Coach Rado’s house with members of the wrestling team was not unusual. Many of his former wrestlers and students came to pay respects at his funeral and told her how important he’d been in their lives. “I understood it then,” she says, realizing the legacy he’d left behind.

A Reminder of a Father’s Love

It’s those four little words, Have Some Fun Today, that daughter Stephanie is making part of her father’s legacy, too. He wanted his kids to find the fun in life, see the joy in the everyday. Life is what you make it, so make it FUN!

“My husband would also say, “If you are going to do something, do it right the first time. The kids have learned that, too. And he liked to have fun!” she says with a big smile. “But you already know that…”

Written and contributed by HSFT writer Rebecca Doubek....

Tags: artist, barbie, daughter, hsft, inspiration, mom, mombehinddaughter, mombehindhst, mombehindwoman, momdaughter, momdays2017, momsday

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