The Retail Whore

This week’s guest is Jenny Livits, the founder of Pink Lagoon , a boutique located in Solana Beach, California, and Wardrobe Design and Styling by Jenny Livits, a holistic personal styling business that helps teach women that styling is a journey of self-exploration and learning to radiate beauty and confidence from the inside out. Michelle & Jenny discuss how the Pink Lagoon stylist program w...

Stylish Visionary : Ambitious Multi-tasker : Retail Junkie Margo Kopman lives, eats, and breathes all things retail. With over 15 years of retail consulting experience as the President of Project Retail , she is extremely passionate about inspiring clients with her vision and authenticity when tackling the complex business of the independent retailer. She believes that you can achieve the highest...

This week’s episode is near and dear to Michelle’s heart. She had the pleasure of interviewing her friend and former co-worker Damon Von Schweikert of Von Schweikert Audio. As former co-workers, which they touch on in the episode, Michelle saw firsthand Damon’s incredible skill set in successfully treating employees while at the same time running a brand at the highest level. Currently, Damon is t...

This week's episode is a Michelle Solocast where she will take the listeners on a deep dive into her design philosophy and review her Top 10 Display Tips! Michelle was asked earlier this year to write an article for Gift Shop Magazine on design & merchandising. This episode is a broader stroke on that article and the tips Michelle learned while working for both Fred Segal and Anthropologi...

S+J is a Lifestyle Boutique featuring Men's, Women's, Kids, Pets, Vinyl, Home + Gifts in our 3 story shop, (4 including their open-air rooftop where they host fashion shows, trunk shows, pop-ups + always a DJ + dance party)!  Jamie spent the first 15 years of her career in Retail at Target Corporation.  She started there in Merchandising in Girls Toys, then was promoted to a Buyer positi...

We are thrilled to have the president of The Retail Smart Guys , Dan Jablons, as a guest this week. The Retail Smart Guys is the premiere consulting company. Dan Jablons worked in retail while attending the Ohio State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Production. He has worked with retailers such as Walmart , Target , JC Penney , American Apparel , Betsey J...

This week’s episode was a tricky one to write show notes for as I am part of the episode. Michelle and I (Elisa) have been friends for over 40 years and although our professional lives couldn’t be more different, we are truly sisters and have seen each other through many of life’s milestones that include births, deaths, divorce & marriages. Knowing each one of our strengths has definitely allo...

This week we are so grateful to welcome Kelly Bloodgood, owner of Well + Good Health Studio. After dealing with mysterious symptoms most of her life, Kelly was finally diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr in 2016, after decades of misdiagnoses.  It was through her frustration with the healthcare system that she set upon my wellness journey to heal myself: mind, body and spirit.  Ke...

The two founders of Jackalope Arts , Melissa Kohout and Sara Diederich, met through their time spent working with an international arts organization, creating regular art centered events in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. They shared the passion to create a "community meets artisan event" focused on the experience of meeting the maker and bringing the local community tog...

We are always impressed with our guests who have built a successful side hustle and Robin Molan is no exception! A lawyer since 1995 practicing in high conflict family litigation and child welfare and overwhelmed with the heaviness of the profession. Robin decided in 2003 to start selling jewelry. She started with a total of $1500 which back then meant she could buy 3-4 lines. Robin went to showro...

This is our episode #4 in our ‘Life After Anthro’ series. Guest Elaine Strawbridge is a passionate creative and leader with a 20+ year career in retail. Growing up in the greater Chicagoland area, she was immersed in sports and her emerging love for the arts. At Columbia College, Elaine earned a Liberal Arts Degree with focus on sculpture – working primarily with metal & wood. After graduation...

This week’s guest is actually Michelle’s first guest who is an actual MC Design Collaboration client. Andrea Leslie is not only a savvy human resources professional and entrepreneur with diverse experience including technology (start-ups to Fortune 500), retail, and food/hospitality but also the owner of Maison A , her side hustle located in Morgan Hill, California. Michelle and Andrea will not on...

Three passions: impeccable design, sensuous aromatics and self-care.  Having enjoyed a successful career as a brand strategist, My McCarthy created Gavin Luxe as a way to reconnect with herself and unapologetically enjoy the indulgences that made her happy to be alive. Gavin Luxe is My's way of aligning three passions: impeccable design, sensuous aromatics, and self-care. The GL experience is...

Mindi Miller is, in no particular order, a mother, a sister, a mentor to at-risk teens, a TV producer, a wife, and an ex-wife. She is grateful to have a family that loves her and mostly ignores one in-law who doesn't. Over the decades, Mindi has pivoted from a lifetime in retail sales - selling products to the mall-goers, to a wholesale representative - selling products to the retailers, to a...

This week's guest is Barbara Mooney, owner of Daisy’s Mercantile, a boutique filled with necessities, frivolities, and embellishments for everyday life, located in Alameda, California. Barbara has always used her creative gifts in her business endeavors, first as a caterer and event planner, then a baker, and now a shopkeeper. When she was bit by the entrepreneur bug, it allowed her love of n...

This weeks guest, Christine Street Gregg owner of Chocolate & Steel , is our 3rd interview in our ‘Life After Anthro’ series. Christine Street is the Founder and Designer of Chocolate and Steel, a jewelry line on a mission to empower women through genuine expressions of acceptance, love and strength with sustainability and giving back woven throughout. Christine has been in the fashion design...

For those of you who have asked “Exactly what does Michelle do?” This is the episode that is a deep dive into exactly what Michelle does for each client and the role she plays in each of their businesses. She’ll go into detail about Stephen Young, retailers and gift show setups. Informative, inspiring and educational!   Show links MC Design Collaboration Instagram: @mcdesigncollaboration Bristol F...

From press in Martha Stewart Living to Marie Claire to being sold in Urban Outfitters to Neiman Marcus, Soul Addict, a farm-first & woman-owned organic Hemp CBD Company continues to inspire us in part 2 of our 2 part interview with owner, Laura Armstrong. Get comfy as she & Michelle discuss how her business spiked during the 2020 pandemic and the inspiration & journey behind converting...

This week’s guest is Laura White, founder and CEO of Soul Addict , a conscious CBD line & majority women-owned hemp farm she runs with her business partner, Maxwell Gaudin. She launched Soul Addict in her ‘soul city’ of New Orleans after using CBD & cannabis to help empower her struggle with anxiety and depression since her early teen years. Shortly after, Laura made the decision to pack u...

This week’s interview is with Chris Willard from The Great Gift & Paper Co. Chris began her career as a registered nurse where medicine was her first love. At that time, as crazy as it sounds, there weren’t a lot of nursing opportunities fresh out of nursing school so rather than working in the hospital unit of a local prison, she took a job with Johnson & Johnson as a sales rep. After wor...

This week’s interview is the second in our series ‘Life After Anthro’. My former intern, Samantha Davis, is now a successful entrepreneur within the birth industry, and has spent the last four years, along with her husband, building and connecting with local industry leaders to help improve the quality of postpartum care to new mothers within the Southern California area. She has continued to deve...

From an 18-year-old stock girl at Nordstrom’s to creating Urban Girl Accessories in 1994, Annie Lents Glen chats with Michelle on how she manages to run a 10 location, 5 concept retail business in the San Diego, California area, with the support of her talented team while at the same time, being a mom to her 2 boys, Jack & Cooper. Her positive attitude and daily gratitude sets the tone for the...

Everyone loves a good comeback story, and today's guest, Effie Tanji from Bodewell Living, is making it her mission to share how she’s doing it her way: fierce, fearless, and free. After co-founding and operating a small, slow fashion jewelry business for a few years, Effie decided to launch a luxury candle brand in March of 2018.  It was a fast and furious trajectory from zero to explosive....

Today’s guests are sisters and design creatives, Susie & Heidi Bauer, owners of Rock Scissor Paper. Rock Scissor Paper has created products imbued with their signature sense of color and optimism that stay true to their joyful outlook in life. Join us as they discuss building their brand, how they can insert a dose of happiness into every product they sell, and how they believe ice cream is tr...

This episode is part one of our 'Life After Anthropologie' multi-episode series. Today’s episode is a trip down memory lane for Michelle and Jess who worked together at Anthropologie. Jessica is the co-host of The Rants & Raves Podcast . Fasten your seatbelt for lots of laughs and great stories from their time working together. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/therantsandravespod...