A passion for rock and roll

RORY RICHARDS

Running your own business requires discipline, vision, resilience and passion. When I spoke to Claire Kalfon about her business on a snowy November afternoon, it was obvious that she possessed all those characteristics, as well as a few more.

Kalfon runs a music rehearsal space called Rock Space, located in the old Rocky Mountain Studio on West 7th Avenue. With more than 100 bands and artists booking space a week, Kalfon has one of the busiest rehearsal spaces in town.

Name: Claire Kalfon.

Hebrew Name: Clara bat Moshe and Leza.

My parents were born in: Morocco.

Grew up in? My entire family moved here from Morocco when I was nine.

Ethnic background: Sephardi, of course!

Age: 39.

Kinder? Nope.

Marital status? Single (and looking).

Occupation: I own a band rehearsal studio called Rock Space.

Does this mean you are a professional groupie? Yes!

How long have you owned the business? 12 years.

How did it get started? My ex-boyfriend. He was a musician and he was always going to these gross rehearsal spaces. They were cold and dirty. He had the idea to start the business and when he went back to Israel, I took the business over.

Pen and paper or Blackberry? Both.

How many voicemails a day do you get? 20.

How many e-mails a day do you get? 50.

Any famous musicians come though your space? Yes, lots. Sarah McLachlan, MOIST, Bif Naked, Nickelback ... the list goes on. I have the wall of fame in my office.

How many people work for you? Two to four at a time.

How many competitors do you have in town? About four.

Any you're worried about? No. They are all run by men and it's just different. I run my business like a woman – it's clean, organized and comfortable. People think that musicians don't care where they rehearse – it's not true. The environment that I create is totally unique in the city.

What's been the most memorable moment or peak in your career so far? The first couple of years were really tough. The business had debt and sometimes I couldn't make the rent. I've worked so hard. It was a slow peak. Turning the business around took a couple of years. Now the business is strong and I have an incredible reputation. That's a great feeling. I've earned it.

What's the toughest lesson you've had to learn in business? That I am very honest and I play fair and that that doesn't always pay off. I won't change my ways, but I realize it doesn't pay every time. When I first started buying equipment for the business, I wasn't taken seriously as a woman. I was overcharged, given inferior equipment and a lot of other things. I had to show them the strength of my personality to earn their respect.

Describe the theory you use in business in a sentence: Be yourself and try your best. Make sure you are doing something you love and you want to do it everyday – which I still I do after 12 years!

Ever been to Israel? Yes, a handful of times. The last time was six years ago.

Is it time to go back? Oh, yes. I'd love to.

Last time you were in shul? Last Saturday – I was there for a family event.

Where do you call your shul? Beth Hamidrash.

What do you think of the rabbi? I like him. He's very easy to talk to and he's been very good to my parents and family.

What role does Judaism play in your life? It's very important to me. A lot of my family is Orthodox. Being Jewish means so much to me – even though I am not religious. It's very special. One day, if I have a family, I hope that it is central in our lives.

What makes you most proud to be Jewish? We never give up. We could have given up so many times, but we didn't. It's instilled in us as people.

My Hebrew is: It's good, but I'm losing it because I'm not using it. I actually took a course at the JCC to learn more.

Who is your dream client? Streisand or Celine Dion.

As a 39-year-old Jewish woman living in Vancouver, what do you think is the biggest problem facing the Jewish community? It's disconnected. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older but I have memories when I was young of huge community celebrations and gatherings. I think we were a tighter community then. Maybe it's because of intermarriage, I don't know, but we are disconnected now.

If you could wave a magic wand and change something in the Jewish community, what would you do? I want more people to be involved. I know that my synagogue is having a hard time with membership. This year on Yom Kippur, there were so many empty seats in the shul – and it was a Shabbat! It is very sad.

Are you actively part of the Jewish community? I just became a member of Beth Hamidrash this year. I used to be part of my family's membership but now I have my own membership.

That's great that you did that. But do you think that is an interesting part of our community? That people wait until their 30s or 40s to become fully participating members? There is no doubt we take community for granted. I'm realizing as I'm talking to you that I'm not doing enough. I try to go to Jewish events – a Shabbat dinner or a community event. But I always think that if I miss one event, that there will be lots more. This isn't necessarily true. I can do a lot more.

Wow! A good dose of Jewish guilt goes a long way! Yes, I'm thinking I need to make some calls.

Rory Richards is a partner in the PR and event planning firm Richards and Chan, www.richardsandchan.com.

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