Meet Judy Masliyah | Designer/shop owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judy Masliyah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy, what do you attribute your success to?
Teamwork. I know it sounds cliche, but I certainly could not have built my shop to what it is today without Kari, Falon and Dawn,the girls that work with me. Since I am out of town a lot, they need to be able to run the store. They are all so creative and self-motivated and take charge when I am away. There is mutual respect and everyone watches each other’s back. I think it is really important to give other people the trust and freedom to think for themselves and make decisions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always had a fascination with the arts and with other cultures. I studied humanities and anthropology in college then went on to graduate in fashion design. In addition to having my own clothing line, I have worked in various aspects of costume design/construction for theater, music videos and film.

I have been lucky to be able to take from all of those experiences and incorporate everything I love into my shop, My Flaming Heart. I design clothes and with new technologies, I can design fabrics as well. I also collaborate with Falon and we do graphic design for t-shirts, mugs and pretty much anything that is printable.

I have also collected things my whole life. I love to find unusual pieces. The shop has become something of a museum. Now that there are so many chain stores, everything has become so homogenous. I love that I can show people that there is so much more out there in the world. I hope that I am preserving little pieces of history. It is so exciting to share my passion with others. I want people to understand how crucial it is to support small businesses. Otherwise, all individuality is lost.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The museum district is my favorite part of the city. I would spend a couple of days there. I love Herman Park and we are incredibly fortunate to have so many world-class museums. So one day I would go to MFAH. That is still not a lot of time for that massive museum. The other day I would go to the Natural Science Museum. Besides all of the dinosaurs, there is always an intriguing special exhibit. Both days, I would finish with a walk around the lake in the park and hang out with the ducks.

My other favorite area is the area of Hillcroft known as the Mahatma Ghandi District. It is like taking a vacation to another country. There are jewelry and sari shops, but most importantly there is food! I go to Himalaya, which is bustling at lunchtime with clientele from absolutely everywhere.

Way too much to list but I will include shopping at midmain, Westheimer in the Montrose and 19th street in the Heights.

The Orange Show and Smither Park and everyone involved with those places are treasures. I would have my friend come visit during the Art Car Parade week.

I would take a day to explore Chinatown and another to play in Galveston.

And I would take this opportuninty to explore The POST, M-K-T and the East End.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Bob Schultz. He is the developer of the neighborhood my shop is in. He has created an oasis in an area that was pretty desolate. He has offered me and a small group of entrepreneurs the opportunity to have businesses and has worked tirelessly to help us succeed. He also works with the city to make the neighborhood safer and more enjoyable to live in.

Website: https://Myflamingheart.com

Instagram: @myflamingheart

Facebook: Myflamingheart

Yelp: Myflamingheart

Image Credits
Shop Photos by Falon Felscher. Photo of Judy by Emily Jaschke