Two Miami tastemakers take us through their day-to-day and reveal how they keep it all in check.
YELIZ TITIZ
Turkish savvy and a love for retail help this boutique owner stay on top of her game. With experience that includes a fashion merchandising degree, 11 years as a sourcing director for Perry Ellis and a successful trajectory as a shop owner in the Design District, Yeliz Titiz is more than ready for the next chapter of The Bazaar Project, the whimsical lifestyle store she has devoted seven years of her life to and which moved from the aforementioned DD to the evolving Coconut Grove last summer. “I was meant to do this,” says Titiz, who was born in Turkey to a family that made its living in the fashion and garment business. “It’s in my blood.” Her change of location has only solidified that mission. The Bazaar Project is now twice as large as its previous location and recently debuted an on-site cafe with a menu crafted by respected nutritionist Serra Tumay. It’s now also part of what many are calling the Grove’s renaissance, a feat made possible by the opening of new businesses, residential towers and the complete renovation of the old CocoWalk complex. “It’s the right time to be here,” says Titiz, “but we still have work ahead.” And that means remaining as focused as ever to ensure her store—a place for funky furniture and trinkets inspired by Titiz’s insatiable wanderlust—stays relevant. For Titiz, that translates to a careful balance of work, treats and glam. Here’s how she does it.
7AM BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
“First thing I do when I wake up is drink warm water with lemon juice. Then, after my grooming routine, I usually eat a typical Turkish breakfast, which consists of feta cheese, tomato, cucumber and black olives. We’ve also been testing a lot of recipes for my new cafe, so I’ve been experimenting with oats and granola recipes lately.”
8:30AM AND... WE’RE OFF!
“Time management is extremely important to me, so I definitely start the work day with phone calls, texts and emails, which can be so disruptive later on when you’re in a groove. I get all those out of the way and get back to people later on in the day.”
10AM RETAIL THERAPY
“I arrive at my store, The Bazaar Project at 10AM on days when I don’t have errands in the morning. I love walking in through the doors and being in the Grove. I then consult with my staff as to what the priorities are and off I go to put out fires both big and small, but that’s the life of a retailer.”
1:15PM LUNCH BREAK
“I can’t tell you how convenient it is to have a cafe on-site at the store. Now, I try to take all my meetings there so I can have people over for a bite. My favorites are the Turkish meze platter, the tuna tartare and the Mediterranean ferro salad.”
3PM MUSIC MUST
“If the store is not too busy, my afternoon ritual is to listen to some music with a cup of tea. That’s the closest I come to meditating. I can’t imagine my life without music everyday.”
7:30PM DINNER & DRINKS
“I usually end my days after 7PM and head home, which is five minutes away. But when my fianceĢ and I feel like eating out, we usually go to Bellini at the Mr. C Hotel a lot. It’s right upstairs from the shop and the cocktails and food never disappoint.”
DAVID KASIR
A methodical approach to time management and daily healthy habits keep this wealth manager feeling and looking his very best. As the managing director of the Miami Beach office of Manna Wealth Management, David Kassir often finds himself hopping on a plane to have lunch with a Raleigh client at noon, boarding another one a few hours later for a 6:30PM dinner with a different client in DC and then heading to the airport again after that for his flight home. “Yes, it can be intense,” he says, “but I love what I do.” Thankfully, most days are not that busy, but since the hectic nature of his chosen profession can come at him at any point, Kassir relies on a tried-and-true day-to-night itinerary on his “normal” days that allows him to tackle those other stressful times with ease. “It’s about forming habits,” says Kassir, a Santa Clara, CA, native who lived in Baghgad and then Virginia Beach, VA, before a romance brought him to Miami and he fell in love with our city. “And every habit stacks on top of another habit.” It’s not always easy, but the results speak for themselves. Kassir’s work may be all about numbers, but his GQ lifestyle is anything but dull. Here’s a breakdown of how he conquers each day with poise.
5:30AM EARLY RISER
“The coffee machine in my house is set to brew at 5:29AM and the alarm on my cell goes off at 5:30AM. I get up, go downstairs and the scent of freshly brewed coffee instantly perks me up. I start my day by reading a book with coffee and some honey right there in the kitchen.”
6:30AM WRITE IT DOWN
“After reading for about an hour or so, I reach for my gratitude journal and I write five things for which I am grateful that day and five things for which I will be grateful in the future as if they have already happened. I stop for a few minutes and then imagine a new home on the water, a ski vacation with the family or driving a particular car that gives me butterflies. The idea of this exercise is to feel exhilarated.”
6:40AM SWEAT EQUITY
“Before the sun has fully risen, my personal trainer, Dominic Ghany, is at my front door and I am in my gym clothes and shoes. We go to my rooftop and train for a solid hour. By 7:45AM I am in the shower and by 8:30AM I am in my office.”
2PM AFTERNOON DELIGHTS
“Coffee doesn’t taste the same to me after noon, so my go-to drink to perk up in the afternoon is Ahmad black cardamom tea. Later I have some Planters peanuts. My appetite for dinner begins at 4:30PM so I had to find something to curbe that and this really works.”
6PM SUPPER TIME
“I leave work at a regular time and with our new baby, dinner is usually at home, but my wife Avisha and I do enjoy going out during the week sometimes. We’re on a plant-based diet, but we do like seafood, so our regular places include Joe’s Stone Crab and Smith & Wollensky.”
10:45PM SAY GOOD NIGHT
“Our day begins to wind up at 7:30PM when we put the baby to sleep and we’re in bed by 10:45PM. I usually fall sleep super fast with no trouble and I think it’s because I’ve been sleeping with an eye mask for 10 years now. Honestly, I think it enhances the quality of sleep significantly.”
Photography by: Portraits: Nick Garcia; Turkish Breakfast Photo by Foxys forest Manufacture/Stock photo; IPhone photo by Boggy22/IStock Photo; The Bazaar Project photo by Sara Boni & Sophia Alexander/Courtesy of The Bazaar Project; Yeliz Titiz photo by Nick Garcia; Tuna tartare photo by Laura Hata/IStock Photo; Airpods photo by Kui Ye Chen/Unsplash; Bellini at Mr. C Hotel photo by James Mcdonald/Courtesy of the venue; David Kasir photo by Nick Garcia; Iphone alarm photo by Andrey Popov/Istock photo; Journal photo by Istock photo; Weights photo by alora Griffiths/Unsplash
