The Retail Whore

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...

Today’s guests are Kingfisher Road boutique founder, Kelly Epstein and her daughter Laura.  Kingfisher Road boutique was established in 2004. Kelly began selling at fundraisers and private events.  What began as a fun side business, quickly became something that needed its own dedicated space – not at her home! Michelle & the Kingfisher ladies discuss business growth, working with a family mem...

The Retail Whore Podcast creator, Michelle Sherrier is our Episode 1 guest, also known as The Solocast! Michelle gives listeners a deep dive into her retail journey, the good, the bad, and the lessons learned along the way. From as a 14-year-old girl from Manhattan Beach working in her first retail store, to modeling in Japan, back to the retail world working for giants such as Fred Segal & An...

Welcome to The Retail Whore by me, Michelle Sherrier: a podcast of stories and lessons from a life in retail. After decades spent in the retail industry, I’ve seen and done it all. Join me every week as I interview people from all walks of retail, the service industry, the wholesale gift industry, and more. We’ll talk about what drives them, the things they love, and some of the biggest lessons th...