Community Magazine August 2019

60 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE I am thrilled to introduce you to Shelly Antebi, a savvy and vibrant businesswoman from our community. Shelly is the owner of the women’s clothing store, “Shelly Antebi” with branches in Oakhurst, NJ and Brooklyn. Shelly is also a partner in Shelly and Renee Sample Sales Production in Manhattan. After hearing Shelly’s life story, I couldn’t wait to share her life lessons with you. Events and individuals in Shelly’s childhood forged her into the strong woman she is today. A Little History Shelly, born to Florence Bibi, A”H , of Syrian descent, and Philip Deutsch, A”H , an Ashkenazi Jew, grew up on Ocean Parkway near Avenue N. Her maternal grandparents, Esther and Reuben Bibi, were pillars of the community, and Reuben was one of the founders of Ahi Ezer Yeshiva. Shelly is the youngest of four children and has two brothers, Randy and Jeffrey Deutsch, and a sister, Cheche Adjmi. Shelly was only four years old when her father passed away. Her mother was 36. “My dad’s death molded and shaped me. Our lives totally changed when he died. Overnight, my mom became the breadwinner. Her parents were a great help, and my mother ensured that we had absolutely everything. She was the strongest influence in my life.” Shelly’s Uncle Jack opened a jewelry business and hired Shelly’s mom. Florence put forth all her efforts to support her brother. She modeled a very strong work ethic for her children and taught them the value of hard work. Shelly has a close relationship with all her siblings, and she respects them deeply. Shelly attended P.S. 226 grade school, Boody Junior High, and Midwood High School. It’s no surprise that Shelly chose Midwood’s co-op program. This curriculum gave Shelly her first taste of the business world, allowing her to go to school one week and work the following week. Her internship was at Morano’s, a jewelry store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where her sister was employed. The owner, Joey Morano, A”H , taught Shelly everything about the business, from cleaning the vault and selling the products, to understanding the customers. “He taught me how to get into the client’s brain, treat them respectfully, and how to make them our customer forever.” Mr. Morano was most definitely her strongest mentor after her mother. Shelly loved her job at Morano’s and left school in 10 th grade to work full time. Shelly’s Character Traits What is Shelly’s essence? The one word I would choose to define her is strength. Shelly describes herself as strong, determined, friendly, loyal, and social. These attributes were clearly evident as I listened to Shelly’s description of her passage from child and teenager to wife, mother, entrepreneur, mother-in-law, grandmother, and community member. I would also add resilient, energetic, creative, and a quick thinker. I was also struck by Shelly’s wealth of energy. She shared that her ADD was a gift from Hashem, providing her with lots of energy and the ability to multi-task. Marriage and Family Shelly met her husband, Albert Antebi, in the local community and was married at 20. Albert was born in Syria, and escaped at 17. He spent a few years in Israel before emigrating to the U.S. Nine years Shelly’s senior, Albert was already an established wholesale shoe importer when their paths crossed. The couple lived on West Street in Brooklyn and they started their family right away. They have five sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, and four precious granddaughters. When Shelly was pregnant with her third son, the purchase of a Brooklyn house fell through and the family stayed in their summer home in Deal. The couple realized they had many good friends in Deal, and decided to remain there and raise their children in the growing and loving community. Their sons attended Hillel Yeshiva from grade school through high school. The Antebis continue to be dedicated supporters of the school and the community. “I feel so fortunate to be part of our community; there is no community like ours and there is an organization to meet every need!” Shelly the Entrepreneur Albert was proud to support his family and did not expect Shelly to be a working mom. Shelly was 23 when her first business opportunity presented itself. Shelly was sitting with her kids in her closest friend’s living room when her Woman Woman to One on One with ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS “Hands down, my family is my #1 priority. I also love business; work comes naturally to me. You can’t be successful if you don’t love what you do. Like an artist who doesn’t like her creations, she won’t be able to sell them.” Shelly Antebi