Name: Jane Frenkel
Facebook: Clayton on The Park, The Clayton House
Instagram: Clayton on The Park, The Clayton House
Age: I can still blow out all the candles!
Title: Owner/Founder of The Clayton Venues
Married/Single: Married for so long that we joke about doing six month contract renewals instead of anniversaries.
Kids: Three adult [ish!] kids. Max, who’s getting married this August, in Boulder, Co [I think he forgot that we own two wedding and event venues here!]. My daughter Mia is a new nursing school graduate and is an emergency room nurse, a job I could never do but admire those who can. My youngest daughter Tori is a hair stylist specializing in color and intricate braided designs for weddings. Her salon, Tori Elyse Artistry, is right next to The Clayton House!
City you live in: Scottsdale
A typical day in my life includes…
going to work at The Clayton Venues offices, where I’m lucky enough to be able to take my dog Daisy. I’d like to say that I exercise after work, but in reality more often than not I end up going out to dinner with my husband instead!
I was born…
in London, England.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
there are hardly any natural disasters here. I think of that every time there’s an earthquake or flood somewhere else.
I’m listening to…
Hamilton. I’ve seen the play three times and am still obsessed.
My family…
I’m so lucky that my kids all live nearby. Between my husband, kids and a soon to be daughter-in law, there’s always something going on. My new dog Daisy is a wonderful addition to the Fam! As the bumper sticker says, “Who rescued who?”
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Lin Manuel Miranda.
One thing I cannot live without…
my Kindle. I always have multiple books queued up ready to read.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a vet.
I’m inspired by…
anything that is beautifully written.
The one person who motivates me is…
Andy Puddicombe, the founder of Headspace.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
that everybody speak the same language. Bring back Esperanto!
The perfect day would be…
cold! I think it’s the English blood in my veins, but I’m never too cold. I like cold weather clothes, food and drinks. Being cozy by a fire is more appealing than being by a pool or at the beach.
My first job was…
walking donkeys on the beach in England.
My favorite escape…
is into a book. My recent favorite book is a memoir, “Educated”, by Tara Westover. Equally gripping, horrifying and inspiring.
My life…
is more balanced than it’s been in a long time. Over the last year I’ve been able to step back from the event side of the business and handed it over to our amazing Clayton Team.
I’m currently working on…
completely redecorating my home and training my dog
Always….
be open to doing things differently
Never…
take good health for granted.
Favorite Quote…
“You may have tangible wealth untold; caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be. I had a mother who read to me.” – Strickland Gillilan
Biggest Dream…
to have a tree house, or at least vacation in one.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
at a restaurant, I can’t stand being asked “are you still working on that?”
More about Jane…
I grew up in England and Australia but have lived my adult life in the US, mostly in Arizona. My husband is a real estate developer and about ten years ago built a showpiece building on the Civic Center Park. It was rented briefly to a restaurant that didn’t survive the recession. We had to find a way to turn a lemon into lemonade, so we re-designed the building and opened our first event venue, The Clayton on the Park.
I had literally no experience with any aspect of the event industry, but ignorance is bliss! We hired a sales person who had some wedding experience, and for the first year or so we did everything from booking events and running wedding ceremonies to doing cleaning and set-up. Just this week I came across an old floor plan for a bat mitzvah party that I had literally drawn by hand. It was adorable! Now our floor plans are computer generated, using a program specifically designed for event spaces. How far we’ve come!
Last November, almost ten years on, we’ve opened a second, much larger venue called The Clayton House and have an amazing, dedicated team that handles everything from sales to catering, bar and set up.
