Recent Episodes

This week’s guest is Nathan Waldon, Founder of Everything for Nathan & Co . After a bazillion plus years of product development for the big guys, nothing ever scratched his retail itch like opening his own eponymous shops. He...

Laci Hewett is the founder and CEO of Saltwater Boys Company, a premium coastal-inspired boys’ clothing brand based on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. What started as one crab tee sold in a Facebook mom group has grown into a t...

Lana Trantham runs Grace and Grit, a small-town emporium-style business selling unique kitchen and bath goods, organic pantry staples and handmade personal-care items. Lana learned retail and pottery merchandising from her mo...

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 Corporati…

Julie Schwarz is an East Coast native with over 30 years of experience in the service and retail industries. She’s run a catering company, built a farmers market business from the ground up, and now owns The Mom-Up Shop —a cu...

Mary Liz Curtin is passionate about independent retail. With over 35 years of hands-on experience in the gift, craft, and home industries, her deep understanding of retailers, vendors, and sales representatives gives her a on...

In this episode, Michelle Sherrier opens up about her hands-on experience transforming Lucy’s store and reflects on the deeper role merchandising plays in retail success. From buying strategies to storytelling through display...

Polly Helm was born and raised in Kentucky. She has a BA from Eastern Kentucky University and a Masters in Organizational Communications from Miami of Ohio. In 1994 she left corporate sales and moved from KY to Wisconsin to s...

Born in June 1969 and raised in Southwest Washington state, Reshell Douglas grew up surrounded by entrepreneurship, learning the ropes of retail in her family’s bridal salon where she worked in sales, buying, and merchandisin...

Amber Baker is the creative force behind Sandy Bottom Candle Co., a coastal-inspired candle brand she launched five years ago with a mission to bottle up the essence of coastal living in a cleaner burning soy candle. What beg...

Susan and Michelle reconnect for another insightful episode of Shelf Talk! They start by sharing their experiences from recent gift shows in Vegas and New York, and how they both took the time to decompress and recharge at ho...

In this episode I’m bringing you behind the scenes of what life and business have looked like lately — from the whirlwind of travel and shows, to returning home, resetting, and preparing for an exciting fourth quarter. I open...

Gauge and his wife opened their business just over two years ago with a simple idea: support local makers and small businesses while crafting a few products of their own. That 'few' quickly turned into more… a lot more. Today...

Cass is a luxury line of leather goods designed and made in California by Debra Szidon. A Jersey girl who now calls California home, Debra blends East Coast sophistication with West Coast ease in every design she creates—from...

Meghan Wagner is the owner of The Go Girl Shoppe, a unique retail store located in Mebane, NC. She began her entrepreneurial journey in 2012 with a mobile shop on wheels, offering a curated selection of home décor and gifts. ...

Linnaea is the passionate owner of a beloved Santa Cruz institution that has evolved into a creative hub for American-made art, design, and feel-good goods. She first joined the store as a 16-year-old seasonal hire in 1993 an...

Andrea Hoffer is an experienced Talent Acquisition & Management strategist and entrepreneur, passionate about building exceptional teams. As the founder of aha! Talent Experts , she has helped businesses across the country im...

Bob Negen is a retail powerhouse, co-founder of WhizBang! Retail Training, and creator of Retail Brilliance , a cutting-edge educational platform for independent retailers. With a storied past as a kite shop owner and over tw...

Susan and Michelle are back with another action-packed episode of Shelf Talk! In this conversation, they kick things off with a quick catch-up and get into what it’s like working alongside their husbands, including a juicy bu...

Steven Henke is the Chief of Brand Marketing at DAP Health. DAP Health is an advocacy-based community health center in Palm Springs, CA, serving over 88,000 patients . It provides comprehensive medical and mental healthcare, ...

Sara Vaskov has been in the San Luis Obispo retail scene for over two decades. She began working at Hands Gallery 22 years ago and became the owner in 2016, leading the shop through years of growth and evolution. Beyond runni...

Misty Stachel is the founder and owner of 85 Local, a carefully curated boutique that blends locally made goods with unique, high-quality finds from beyond Arizona. With a passion for retail and community, Misty has created a...

Emma Lewis is the owner of Rare Form and The Twentieth, both based in Chicago. Emma works to digitally restore and reinterpret 100-year-old designs to create unique greeting cards, stationery, and more. Through her work, her goal is to empower and affirm others with a brand that combines vintage im…

Susan and Michelle join forces again for another episode of Shelf Talk! Here, they kick things off with a recap of Susan’s recent trip to New Orleans and all the fun shops she explored while there. Next, they share some of th...