Dear Frock Customers,
My name is Jim Pauk, the owner of Frock, having taken over from my wife, Cathryn Dajka, after her passing in 2022.
Frock has been a much loved staple on Roncesvalles Avenue for twenty three years and has had a truly beautiful relationship with the Roncesvalles community. Unfortunately, however, the difficult decision has been made to close our doors due to ongoing financial challenges.
Here is Frock's story:
Cathryn was a much-in-demand Stylist in the Toronto fashion industry. We lived in Roncesvalles Village and became aware that a rundown, vacant storefront at the corner of Roncesvalles and Pearson Avenues had been listed for lease for a considerable time. The south end of Roncesvalles was, itself, somewhat neglected.
Cathryn, tired of her daily commute to work, made the decision to open a fashion boutique in the vacant space. She had previously, in 1986, co-owned UBU, a fashion boutique for two years, also located on Roncesvalles Avenue. Fifteen years later, Roncesvalles was still lacking in fashion boutiques. Seeing this, Cathryn leapt at the opportunity to share her love of fashion once again.
The inspiration for the name Frock came from an encounter Cathryn had while living in Jamaica in the 90’s. While riding her bicycle one windy day in Negril, the gusts began whipping up the back of her dress. A young boy, frantically pedalling to catch up with her, began shouting “Miss! Miss! Please pull over!” When Cathryn finally pulled over, the boy, with concern for her modesty, cried “Miss, you must sit on your frock!” This amusing interaction stuck with Cathryn and in 2003 Frock was born.
Cathryn injected her sense of whimsy and creativity into all that she did and Frock became a much needed boost to a very tired stretch of Roncesvalles. According to other local business owners the opening of Frock accelerated the growth and transformation of the neighbourhood shops.
After six years of operating Frock, Cathryn, always motivated, determined that the area was in need of a shoe store to compliment her clothing boutique. She opened Imelda on the same block as Frock which became an immediate success. A few years later Cathryn sold Imelda in order to redirect her energies to further develop Frock.
To her employees, Cathryn became boss/mentor/friend. She quietly championed women, instilling confidence and encouraging them to chase their dreams and was extremely pleased that many went on to establish their own businesses.
In 2019 life hit hard. Cathryn and I both lost our parents. At that point Cathryn decided to sell Frock so we could spend our lives enjoying travel and cottaging but then, a few short months after our losses, in the opening days of COVID lockdown, Cathryn was diagnosed with Glioblastoma.
Cathryn’s determination to sell Frock intensified and things were on track to do so. However, as her health declined, direct involvement in the business was, understandably, reduced. After Cathryn’s passing, financial irregularities and unauthorized financial activities were discovered. These discrepancies were later attributed to an employee at that time and were significant enough to impact Frock’s financial stability, which became a contributing factor in our recent decision to close.
After learning of the shop’s financial challenges, Frock’s relatively new staff united to undertake efforts to restore the business. Moving forward, employees had the support of the community as well as Frock’s clientele, many of whom were among Frock’s earliest customers, and learned from shared stories the importance of Frock to the community and about Cathryn herself. During this time I went from experiencing the worst of human deception to the best of kindness and sincerity.
When I took over Frock, it was with the hope of honouring Cathryn’s beautiful legacy. With the help of a dedicated team, we worked hard to continue what she had built. However, as with many small businesses today, it has been challenging to remain financially sustainable after COVID, especially without Cathryn’s guidance.
The last few years have been both an emotional and financial challenge, but I'm truly grateful to have carried on. Continuing Frock has been a meaningful way for me to keep Cathryn close and honour all that she built. I will always be thankful to the incredible Frock team who walked this journey with me and to the dozens who worked with Cathryn over the years. They have been so respectful of Cathryn and so thoughtful and supportive of my circumstances They have made this experience not only possible but truly special. A heartfelt thank you to Melody, who has been the driving force behind Frock these last few years and to Kira, who worked alongside Cathryn and returned to support me when I needed it most.
This season will sadly be our last. We expect to be winding down the store mid-spring and will remain transparent about each stage leading up to the closing as decisions are made. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing details about our closing sales as a way to thank our wonderful customers. Now more than ever, we are grateful for the continued support of our community and appreciate your patience as we navigate this final chapter.
Thank you for being part of our story. Frock has always been about this community - our friends, our families, and the love shared along the way. Thank you for all the kindness, support and wonderful memories.
Ironically, Cathryn once told me that her time after her diagnosis was the happiest of her life because she felt so blessed by the love around her. A feeling that has truly been reflected in the continued support shown to Frock.
Respectfully,
Jim
