Pearl Son-Dodd

Pearl considers herself to be a New York City native even though she was born and raised in a small suburban town in Connecticut. Her parents immigrated from Korea to become doctors of medicine, but they greatly appreciated art and culture and they raised their eight children with a love for the arts as well. Throughout her childhood, Pearl’s parents planned trips into New York City; to museum shows, Broadway openings, performances at Lincoln Center, often followed by late night dinners in Chinatown. Her family outings and the city itself deeply inspired her. After completing her BA at Cornell University, she came to New York to pursue a second degree in fashion design at Parsons School of Design.

Fashion became her life, but after 9/11 and a decade-long career working for Ralph Lauren, she was looking for a change. She took her first subway ride out to Brooklyn one night with a friend who introduced her to Burr. Her life changed soon after. At first she volunteered at Thomas’ art gallery Brooklyn Fire Proof in Williamsburg while still moonlighting in fashion. Nine years later, Pearl and Thomas moved the company to Bushwick and expanded, working together in every step as a couple and a tag-team. Shortly after that, they started a family and are now raising their two children while running Brooklyn Fire Proof and its affiliated companies.