ACE PEOPLE

Michael C. Clarke Leaves an Established Law Career to Promote Irish American Heritage

June 3, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

I met Michael C. Clarke, Executive Director at the Irish American Heritage Museum, recently at an event and was bowled over by not only his enthusiasm but his career story and how he came to be where he is today. Having decided to leave corporate real estate several years ago to pursue a career in arts and culture, I am always fascinated to find those kindred souls who make the plunge. But I guess for Michael, it is no surprise he ended up where he is…he has music in his soul and a strong connection to his immigrant heritage. Side note, ask him about a recent trip to Ireland where he helped deliver over 60 lambs on his brothers farm, it’s a good one but to long for this piece!

Micheal C Clarke : Performing Musician and Executive Director at the Irish American Heritage Museum
Image: Corey Aldrich

Could you please state your name, organization, position and give us a little bit about your history including educational, experiential and career background.

My name is Michael C. Clarke. I’m the Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum (IAHM) at Quackenbush Square in Albany. I’ve been here for about six months. I’m a recovered lawyer. I left the law after about 30 plus years of practice and was reasonably successful. When I did, I had the intention of landing somewhere in the Irish cultural space. For a little background, I started playing Irish music when I was six years old and loved it. I was raised in a household of two Irish immigrants and had been very involved and aware of Irish culture and history growing up. I paid for college in law school, not by student loans, but by being a full-time musician playing music in New York City in the 1980s.

Micheal gets his first serious instrument at 13 years old | Image: Provided

IAHM is in the former Albany Planetarium location. In addition to a permanent exhibit including objects and artifacts of historical note, including a actual life sized cottage, there is a beautifully intimate 60 seat venue with a dome ceiling set up like a living room performance space. People come in and they sit down as if they’re at a friends home with the main difference being that there are stars shining up above while they listen to traditional and folk Irish music. We have an intensive program of music here and it’s filling up with internationally recognized artists. Additionally, we have a gallery space that currently has an amazing collection of canvases by painter Kevin McKrells, who is mainly known for his musical pursuits, first as a founding member of Celtic Folk band Donnybrook Fair and his current band, the Celtic Bluegrass band The McKrells.

Current Exhibit ‘Old Men in Hats’ at the Irish American Heritage Museum : Paintings by Kevin McKrell
Image: Corey Aldrich

What is the mission of the organization?

The mission of the organization is to educate. It’s to raise awareness in folks of the richness of Irish culture and art. My job is to curate shows, lectures, performances and exhibits that teach and expose our community to the impact of the Irish on America.

Irish American Heritage Museum Performance Space | Image: Provided

What artists have you had come through? Maybe you could elaborate a bit about that part of the program.

So we’ve had the Irish duo Ivan Goff and Katie Linane, who are internationally known for performing the Uilleann pipes, which is the Irish bagpipes in addition to the elbow pipes and fiddle. Last week we had Gerry O’Connor, who tours the EU and the United States constantly as an international recording artist. He has written books and he teaches at Celtic and traditional Irish music festivals around the globe. We had a band called Open the Door for Three. They are famous in the traditional Irish music and folk scene. They were performing in Buffalo and Maine and reached out to me and asked if they could perform in Albany on the way back through. So many people want to come because of the intimate nature of the venue which is perfect for this style of music. Albany is kind of a strategic stopover for them. I’ve been blessed in the six months that I’ve been here to be able to have this great pool of talent to choose from and only see that expanding over time. Oh one more…I am really excited to announce that later this year we have Kevin Burke who is one of the early members of the world-renowned Bothy Band and later the founder of Irish super-group Patrick Street, who will be performing on September 8th.

Irish Immigrant Objects at the Irish American Heritage Museum | Image: Corey Aldrich

Beyond the music, you said you had a connection with some genealogical research as well?

We have an in house genealogist! Lisa Walsh Dougherty has nearly 20 years experience helping people discover the specifics about their Irish roots. She is fantastic as far as sitting down with folks and is available on a regular basis. One of the scheduled times she comes in is before an open Irish jam style music event we sponsor called the ‘Traditional Music Sessions.’ These are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at the museum. They start at 7:00 PM and we typically will have anywhere from 8 to 12 musicians from the community, who are very good at what they do, sitting around a table jamming out / performing together. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Lisa comes in an hour before so anybody who wants to come early to do some family history research are able to do so.

Irish American Heritage Museum : Traditional Music Sessions Series | Image: Provided

Anything you can tell us about your midterm or long-term plans that you’d like to share?

I’m a very visual person. The reason why I am where I am today is because three years ago I was like, “What does a photograph of me look like three years from now?” I saw myself exactly where I am. Involved in Irish Cultural and Arts promotion and being a proponent for that.

To fast forward, the photograph of the museum and me three years from now is one where we are encouraging a new generation to embrace their heritage of Irish music, culture, dance and in general creating an overall appreciation of Irish immigration’s impact on America in the community at large. I am focused on activities involving children. Two areas I am actively looking at right now involve Irish music and dance programming, integrating schools and / or education. We’ve got the perfect space for a teacher to come in and organize recitals for kids and their families…

I recently hired a new Assistant Director, Hayden-Grace Francis, and am looking to integrate her more deeply into the various aspects of running the organizational mission. In addition to having a History Degree from Siena College, Heyden is a Certified Irish Dance Instructor through An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha which adds a nice dimension to some of my aforementioned forward planning. Ultimately, I want this to be family oriented. It’s really about the mission, about getting the message out regarding the impact of Irish traditions, art and culture on American life while keeping them alive in a new generation.

HIstoric Cottage at the Irish American Heritage Museum | Image: Corey Aldrich

If people want to get involved, what’s the best way to do that?

Visit our website at irish-us.org or contact me at 518 . 427 . 1916.

Also, check out some of the events we have coming up later this month!

FIRST FRIDAY ALBANY Event – feat. Live Music with CURRAGH
Jun 6, 2025 | 6:00 PM | FREE SHOW! In collaboration with Metroland NOW!

THE EAST COASTERS – Trad / Folk Series
June 10, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Ticketed Event. Three renowned Irish performers from the eastern US weave together their regional styles in a memorable evening of tunes and songs

2025 Celtic Influences Performance Series: SEA SHANTIES W/SEÁN DAGHER
Jun 19, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Ticketed Event. The Sea Shanty resurgence is real! Join world renowned sea shanty expert and performer Seán Dagher in this full-throated, big fun IAHM evening of singing and learning about the genre!

Upstate Cold Brew Works on Expanding Their Eye Opening Mission

June 3, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Local roasters Upstate’s Cold Brew is on the rise, expanding their distribution and product offerings. A combination of community building, creativity and a drive for a well balanced, eye popping brew are the driving factors behind this dynamic duo’s move to supply your morning routine with a bump of flavorful exuberance and maybe a whole lot more.

Jamel Mosely and Khalid Miller : Co-Owners at Upstate Cold Brew | Image: Provided

Please state your name(s). What is your position in the company? Can you share a little about your educational or experiential background?

My name is Khalid Miller — most folks just call me Kha. I am a Co-Owner of Upstate Cold Brew alongside my brother-in-coffee, Jamel Mosely. Day to day I steer operations and recipe development as the Head Brewmaster in addition to and other cool stuff. Jamel drives brand and community outreach (he’s the people magnet). We both do everything of course – but we tend to lean in those respective directions. I received a Master’s in Education from the College of Saint Rose. I was a School Councilor / Behavior Intervention Team Leader at the Brighter Choice School for Boys in Albany, New York for just over 8 years when I left in spring of 2023. Since 2019 my focus and passion has been on deepening my knowledge of the coffee industry and different brewing techniques – such as cold brew!

Upstate Cold Brew Product Offerings | Image: Provided

Cold Brew is a crowded space. What made you decide to start up the company? Can you tell us about your mission? When did you start?

The seed was planted more than a decade ago: we dreamt of a coffee shop that doubled as a creative studio where aspiring entrepreneurs could hatch ideas and find the tools to build them. But we ended up slamming the brakes on the brick-and-mortar plan, because life had other plans – but we eventually came back around to it, but this time with a different approach. Cold brew concentrate. We made it, gave it to friends and family, they loved it and convinced us to bottle up this magic and share it with the world. We got our big break in 2022 at the Troy’s Riverfront Farmer’s Market where it took off. We now have a thriving community that supports us and is growing everyday and the best part is that our mission hasn’t changed– coffee is still the conduit. We brew to spark connection, fuel creativity, and pour resources back into the community that raised us.

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Concentrate | Image: Provided

Can you share a bit about your process and method? What would you say is the identifying characteristic(s) about UCB?

We start with organically-grown, sustainably-traded beans roasted right here in the Capital Region. In the early days we soaked coarse grounds for 14–24 hours and triple-filtered every batch. Today we scale that same philosophy with a chilled, closed-loop system that extracts in a fraction of the time while locking in a richer, smoother, profile and extending shelf life. The result is a velvety concentrate that’s “eye-opening” strong, yet incredibly smooth and flavorful!

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Scented Candle | Image: Provided

How are you primarily distributing the product? Do you have additional channels that you are pursuing?

Right now a large percentage of our volume moves through direct-to-customer channels we can shake hands with: the Troy Riverfront Farmers Market every Saturday, plus refill stations and grab-and-go bottles at Emack & Bolio’s in Albany, and in the coffee cocktails at DeFazio’s Pizza and The Whiskey Pickle in Troy.

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Nitro Retail Beverage | Image: Provided

For retail, Honest Weight Food Co-op just gave us shelf space, and other regional grocers are in the pipeline. Online, we ship nationwide from our website at upstatescoldbrew.com, and we’re working through the final hoops to launch an Amazon storefront later this summer. So we are doing our best to get this high quality concentrate to as many people as possible!

BONUS: Anything coming up we should know about? New releases or live tasting events?

Catch us in person in right off Monument Square on Second Street at our booth every Saturday at the Farmers Market in Troy. You can also keep up to date on pop up events and special product releases by following our Instagram page @upstatescoldbrew.

WEB: upstatescoldbrew.com | IG: @upstatescoldbrew

Elizabeth Waxes Philosophic on the Merits & Challenges of a Tech Driven Future

May 2, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Happenstantially I ran across an old friend recently at Jamel Mosely‘s Whiskey Pickle and as frequently happens at night in such places, a deep conversation ensued. This one was on the merits and challenges of AI’s impact on creativity. So good it was, I had to invite Elizabeth Quinn Gray, who is currently the Associate Director of the AI and Society Research Center at the University of Albany to have a chat over the kitchen table about where she sees the technology going and its impact on arts, culture and the human condition.

Elizabeth Quinn Gray – Associate Director at AI and Society Research Center | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, position and what you do. Feel free to include any relevant background info.

My name is Elizabeth Quinn Gray, my position is the Associate Director of the AI and Society Research Center at the University of Albany (AISRC). I’m currently finishing my doctorate, actually it’s really optimistic of me to say I’m finishing my doctorate…I’m in the dissertation writing stage of my doctorate in Philosophy. I also studied social justice theory.

As for my background, I studied at UAlbany, then started a school in Ecuador where I was asked to help found the Global Institute for Health and Human Rights as Assistant Director. Following that, I co-founded a Montessori school in Albany. After which, I was Assistant Dean at the College of Emergency Preparedness for Homeland Security and Cyber Security at SUNY when that was starting and then participated in a variety of startup projects at the Provost Office there (SUNY) as well.

What exactly is the purpose of AISRC?

AISRC has a range of five different themes that we work on: human resilience, human solidarity, human connection, human imagination and human flourishing. In each of them, the idea is to look at those things which are essentially human and / or have to do with the human condition, then determine how we can leverage AI in order to support humancentric activity while also protecting those things against the undue influence of the technology.

There is a lot of anxiety in the creative class about the impacts of AI. Maybe you could give us some hope for the future of human creativity…

I understand the initial reaction to people feeling fearful about the ways in which as AI is better able to, you know, massive air quotes here CREATE. There’s this fear that it will undercut or replace human creativity. My perspective on it is that there’s still necessarily a human creator in these scenarios. It is the case that AI can do some of the work for example, graphic design. But there still needs to be somebody who creates the concept for what the graphic should be. What makes it interesting is that somebody has an idea that they wanted to create a specified image. It’s bizarre and can be sort of disturbing and concerning, but I think that historically there’s always been these moments where new technologies or artistic tools have become available. Each time humans take the tools and find the path to make art while showing the mind of the creator. Art is not merely the visual or the verbal representation of a thing.

I think it’s going to actually be really fun and interesting to see what kind of art comes out through AI generated forms of creative arts because it just offers a new tool that people can play in. Then there’s an opportunity that sometimes is overlooked in areas like equity, inclusivity and expression. For example, historically in order to paint, you had to have access to paint. Originally only a really small group of people who had that access because you had to have like a chemist that could hand mix it an access to the minerals and then they would have to like make the paints and then, you know, if you were one of those lucky people, then you might become a painter. Eventually the paints became available in tubes that anybody could buy, and then everybody thought, oh no, now that everybody can paint, it’s going to make painting meaningless. But no, in fact, it just gave more people access to the medium. Then the caliber of painting, the expectations of what it meant to paint changed because there were all of these new artists in the field that were painting. I think that some similar things are already happening with AI. I think it just opens the field up for more art, more creation rather than narrowing the field.

In what way’s do you see the creative class having a critical contribution to the ongoing dialog?

Creativity and the creative arts are critical to human identity. There are opportunities and there are also serious challenges or threats. As you alluded to previously, there are the ones who hold the power and hold the purse and for the most part, that is not the creatives. On the other hand, it’s the creatives who hold power in wisdom and improvisation. So we have to figure it out how to align the money with that wisdom. This hasn’t been figured out yet in many respects. With the AISRC, we don’t want to invite in the humanists and the social scientists and the artists and other creatives to the AI discussion. We want the humanist, the social scientists, the creatives and the artists to lead the discussion, to identify those things that we need to be paying attention to, to understand what matters in order to know how to protect what matters. How do you engage with questions of art and creativity? Questions of ethics and of social impact can’t be an afterthought. Again, it’s the creatives that have that power and wisdom that those in positions of formal authoritative structural power don’t necessarily have. We can benefit from giving those minds a seat at the table at the outset, as all of this is unfolding.

Author Laila Lama – Photo: Beowulf Sheehan | Author Gary Rivlin – Photo: Kathy Ryan

Do you have anything to offer folks to help them engage in the ongoing dialog about AI and its ongoing impact?

One of the first things that we did when we started the AI and Society Research Center was to partner up with the New York State Writers Institute (EDITORS NOTE: the most recent installments included conversations with Author’s Laila Lalami and Gary Rivlin) to develop an AI and Society Conversation Series. Through this partnership we bring in authors who are working either directly or indirectly on questions related to AI technologies. Some are journalists, some are novelists who are just interested in questions of surveillance or creativity or any number of related topics. Some are pro AI, some are the skeptics that are questioning and concerned. The idea is to create a series that is fiction and nonfiction. Including play rights, filmmakers and others who are grappling with these questions in their in their particular formats. These are public events that are open to the public.

So part of what the AI in Society Conversation Series is doing is grappling with both the opportunities and the threats. We’re also looking at with this from a research perspective. So for those five themes that I mentioned earlier…in what ways can we leverage these emerging tools and technologies in order to further the things that we care about? How do we leverage AI as a tool to to support and enhance those things that we care about? And based on what we care about, based on what are what we want to value about what it means to be human, how do we protect against the threats? And finally, who even is the we?

Incidentally, I was joking that finally they are asking the philosophers what we think because, you know, philosophers of mind have asked questions about what it means to be an independent generative thinker for ever. Questions of ethics or questions of trust or explainability. These are what philosophers think about. Now suddenly there is not just a commercial but a societal, humancentric reason to be thinking about these things. I think we can look at it in the same way with arts and creativity. We have an opportunity for those who have been doing this, who have that in their nature, to lead and to have a hand in shaping the future of the technology. At it’s core, that is our hope with the research center.

WEB: AI and Society Research Center

Fabbro Industries Design Build Approach Spans Bespoke Bikes to One of a Kind Furniture Designs

May 2, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Terence Musto and I recently were asked to be on the same crit panel for a group of student projects at Union College organized by Associate Professor Lorriane Cox PhD. His business acumen was evident in the feedback he provided to the project teams and when I found out what he did, a studio visit was destined to happen. The story of Fabbro Industries is highly relevant and emblematic of the current national narrative to bring more entrepreneurial manufacturing to our country. A renaissance creative, Terence has his hands in a wonderful diversity of projects including currently rolling out a touring bicycle design to machining specific parts for a project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All from his shop in Vorheesville, New York.

Terence Musto : Owner / Creator at Fabbro Industries | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, title and business. Can you also give us a bit of background into how you got into what you do and any relevant educational or apprenticeship background info?

My name is Terence Musto, CEO / Creator at Fabbro Industries. I went to school at Babson College for business, concentrated in finance, worked in finance, and wanted nothing more than to get as far away from it as possible after my first internship. I had built a custom chopper (motorcycle) in my parent’s garage while in college and was instantly hooked by building. After graduating, I got an apprenticeship with a custom builder and my journey began. I apprenticed for about a year, then became his lead fabricator and then shop foreman. I eventually left that shop, and opened my own shop, knowing that I wanted to concentrate on R&D and product development for anything on two wheels.

Fabbro Industries Custom Bike Build | Photo: Michael Lichter

Can you tell us more about what market nitch FABBRO Industries fills and what your main focus areas are? Care to name drop a few clients / projects that you have worked with / on?

On its surface, we are a prototyping, design, and fabrication company. But we exist in a few main areas:

1. Custom motorcycles, cars, bikes (and associated parts) – namely the creation of our patented Type 57x® integrated suspension frame for bicycles and motorcycles.

2. Product development – from design, to bill of material generation, to small batch fabrication. We can take customers from hand sketch, or even just idea stage, to finished prototype ready for testing.

Fabbro Industries Designs : Bottle Opener and Tap | Photos: Provided

3. Finely machined home goods – we produce our own line of machined home goods including bottle openers, cutting boards, and cigar ashtrays (along with a few new products dropping soon).

4. Architectural metal fabrication – we work with general contractors for high end metal fabrication for things like: custom furniture, sinks, floating vanities, shower doors, etc.

5. Small batch, high quality manufacturing of goods.

We are set up to make one piece or a couple hundred. But more importantly, we’ll work with clients to find out exactly what they need – sometimes, what people think they need isn’t actual. Example: maybe you think you need your product to be made from solid aluminum, machined, and bolted together. In reality, we could save weight and time by using tubing and welding it together and achieving all the same design goals. We’ll sit down and talk the process through to make sure you get exactly what you need. Compare that to a traditional job shop: they make whatever you have on the print, even if that’s the wrong thing to make.

We’ve built a lot of stuff over the years – I’ve had bikes in many national and international magazines. One of the coolest moments for me was having our Type 57x® included in a book on the history of motorcycling in NYS, and the NYS Museum put our gold prototype on display for about 8 months in their lobby (highlight of my career so far for sure!).

Fabbro Industries Custom Interior Design Fabrications | Photos: Provided

We also had some of our architectural work in Architectural Digest in the September 2024 issue for a floating, mirror polished stainless steel vanity we built. We also machined some parts for a Lincoln Zephyr designed by Paul Teutul Jr. (American Chopper fame) and built by Speakeasy Motors. Current project clients include Iacona Custom Cycles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fabbro Industries One of a Kind Design and Production Prototyping | Photos: Provided

Running a design driven machine shop feels very much in alignment with what we are seeing promoted on a national scale for creating quality jobs. What do you see as some of the hurdles and challenges to growth in this market area? Any specific things that you have experienced in growing your company?

I think the biggest hurdle is that there’s a lot of focus on the supply side – which presents its own challenges (energy consumption, time required to build manufacturing infrastructure to name a couple). But the other side is on the demand front – customers need to be willing to pay more to have things made in America. It’s expensive to make things here. One of our biggest challenges, in addition to finding qualified labor, is being able to afford all of the required insurances and benefits that fabricators need which is tough.

We’ve been pushing our new marketing: #webuildheirlooms. Our products aren’t cheap. They are luxury items. But my mission is to inspire a feeling in our customers whenever they use our products. Even if it’s just a bottle opener, I want our customers to have the feeling of “I love this!” every single time they use it, or even look at it. When they are done with it, I want them to pass it on to the next generation. I think that on the demand side of the equation, customers need to embrace this mentality of “buy less, but buy better” and be willing and able to pay more for it.

Fabbro Industries : Terence Reviews Design Documents | Photo: Corey Aldrich

AI is being touted as something that potentially will take away many jobs in this country. I think you and I both have a more nuanced version of that future. Can you share some thoughts on AI and how you see it affecting your business?

There are applications of AI being rolled out already in my space – one major one that is exciting is in the CAM side of programming. For the uninitiated, CAM is the programming required to create the G-CODE that tells CNC equipment how to run the parts we design. It’s designed in CAD (computer aided design) then programmed using CAM (computer aided manufacturing). Traditionally, we use the CAM software to pick up geometries, lines, machining strategies, etc. It can take anywhere from minutes to hours. AI is being deployed on the CAM side to reduce programming time, even for complex parts, to under 5 minutes. There are trade-offs – these programs aren’t inexpensive, and you still need the g-code and programming knowledge to get the AI software to give you quality outputs. But this is definitely one place that AI is creating efficiency, even for small shops.

Fabbro Industries Type 57X Touring Bike Design | Photo: Provided

BONUS QUESTION: Share with us something you are especially excited about that you are looking to develop in your business over the next 5 years.

BUSINESS: it’s always exciting to see growth, be able to buy new equipment, bigger space, and add quality team members. We are finally hitting some of these goals and I’m looking forward to what the next year brings in this regard.

PRODUCTS: It’s the big one: we are reaching D-day with our Type 57x frames. We are getting ready to roll out two prototype e-bikes, and then finally wrap up our testing and get our product to market. We are looking for manufacturers to launch a pilot program so that we can get our frames out into the field and get people better riding bikes for every day use. Currently, there are no real full suspension options for bikes that aren’t mountain bikes. Our goal here is to license our patent portfolio to a larger company who has the efficiency to make our frames properly on a large scale.

ARCHITECTURAL: Last year was pretty good for us. This year we have a few good projects lined up, but the one I’m most excited for is a built-in wine cooler, with brass racking I am currently working on. It’s a large scale – 4 big doors. It’s a complicated project, but I think it’ll be a killer piece once it’s done.

WEB: fabbroindustries.com | IG: @fabbroindustries | FB: @fabbroindustries

Meg Mosca : Fashion Forward Design and Alterations in Saratoga Springs, New York

March 20, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

I recently reached out to Meg Mosca about helping out with a project ACE! is participating in this month with the NYS Art Teachers Association. I had worked with her back in 2017 where she participated in a fashion event that I did at the NYS Museum for Electric City Couture called IDENTITY. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she has grown and is now a fashion related entrepreneur working out of Saratoga Springs. Indie / custom fashion is a tough go. This is such a feel good and practical creative economy story, I just had to share. Additionally, who doesn’t need a good seamstress from time to time?!

Meg and Kevin Mosca : Owners at Mosca Alterations in Saratoga Springs, New York | Photo: Alexandra Eigo

Please state your name and title. Can you tell us a little about your educational / experiential background also?

My name is Megan Mosca, and I’m a fashion designer and small business owner. I completed my studies at Hudson Valley Community College before going on to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology. My education and experiences have shaped my approach to both the creative and practical sides of the fashion industry, allowing me to blend my passion for design with the skills necessary to run a business.

Starting at an existing business, WillFitUin in 2017, I eventually bought the business in August 2021.

2017 Electric City Couture IDENTITY Promo Shoot | Designer: Meg Kluball Mosca
Photo: (L) Doug Mitchell (R) Sarah Pezdek

What drew you to fashion and clothes making?

From a young age, I realized that clothing is like a second skin—it’s something I can choose for myself. It’s amazing how clothes can shift depending on your mood, how you want to present yourself to the world, or even how many times you want to change in a day. This realization sparked my interest in fashion. I quickly became fascinated by the power that clothing holds and how it can shape not just our appearance but how we feel and are perceived.

Mosca Alterations in Saratoga Springs, New York : Detail Work in Progress | Photo: Provided

Tell us more about your shop? Can you explain the types of work you do on a regular basis?

My husband and I own Mosca Alterations in Saratoga Springs, NY, where we specialize in women’s formal wear alterations, with a particular focus on wedding gowns. In addition to alterations, we also offer custom dresses, and we’re expanding into that market more and more. It’s really exciting to work on pieces that have such personal significance, and being a part of making someone’s day even more special is always incredibly rewarding.

Mosca Custom Wedding Dress Design | Photo: Michelle Lang

Are you still experimenting with producing original lines?

Yes, I’m currently working on developing a line of wedding veils called Opaline. I’m also focused on growing our custom gown offerings. One of the most rewarding parts of my work has been creating custom dresses for clients using vintage pieces, particularly wedding gowns from their families. Reworking these gowns—restoring them and giving them new life—has been such a joy, especially when you get to work with something so sentimental and meaningful.

Mosca Bespoke Garment Crafted From Heirloom Piece | Photo: Nicole Perfetuo

Running a business is a lot of work and a very different headspace from the creative. Can you tell us how you balance it? Also, anything you could share on the economics side of things? Any practical recommendations for fellow designers?

Balancing the creative and business sides is definitely a challenge. As a perfectionist, I often find it hard to let go of control, but being a business owner has forced me to rely on the strengths of my team. It’s an ongoing challenge to take my hands off certain tasks, but the growth that comes from collaboration has been invaluable.

In terms of practical advice, I try to keep a clear separation between work and life by setting boundaries. I “punch in” and track my hours to make sure I’m being as productive as possible during work hours. It’s also important to set times when I have to leave the studio. As someone whose brain never seems to turn off, I find it essential to create those boundaries to prevent burnout.

Mosca Opaline Veil | Photo: Amanda Irvine

EXTRA CREDIT: Anything you have coming up you would like to plug or that we should know about?

Yes! We’ve recently launched a collection of veils that are available via Etsy, and we’ll soon be adding them to our website as well. Be sure to check them out! It’s an exciting new venture, and I can’t wait for people to see the pieces we’ve been working on.

WEB: moscaalterations.com | IG: @moscaalterations