Recent Episodes

This week’s guest is Melissa Kanarek, a couture upholsterer and seamstress by trade who lives in the Santa Ynez Valley part of California, where she operates her Brass Tack brick & mortar. Melissa’s work, along with the pieces she buys, is imbued with a strong sense of story. She believes who makes it and how it is made are equally important to the object itself. An admitted travel junkie (56 countries and counting), the globe is an unending, evergrowing moodboard for her endeavors. Michel...

This week we are so lucky to have Dale Rhodes - Senior VP of Katin USA, as this week’s guest. Dale’s path to success began at 17 years-old, when he worked in the retail industry at MGA (Guess Jeans), CampBeverly Hills, and Val Surf. It came naturally for him to style celebrities and work directly with clients. It was then – during the hot trend of Guess in the 80s – that Dale paved the way for his future accomplishments in the apparel industry. With a breadth of knowledge in marketing and man...

Kerrie Fitzgerald the founder of Kerrie Fitzgerald LLC - an ecommerce and product business consulting & educational agency, and host of top 100 marketing podcast- The 6 Figure Product Business Podcast. As a digital marketing expert, Kerrie helps e-commerce businesses create “wildly in demand” brands that their customers are obsessed with. After starting her first high-end pet e-commerce business, The Dapper Dog Box in 2016, she grew the business to multi 6 figures of revenue in two years without...

This week’s episode guest is Matt Katzenson, CEO of Fines Lines Company. Fine Lines Company began in 1989. Paula Abdul had just released her smash hit “Straight Up”, and they had just launched their first 8 x 10 ft. trade show booth featuring 4 brave manufacturers that believed in a couple of cocky upstarts. Today, with permanent showrooms in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle, as well as a sales territory that ranges from New Mexico to Alaska, you might say they’ve grown a bit since Paula pe...

After over a decade working in advertising agencies on both Madison Avenue in NYC and in Los Angeles, Meredith turned her passion for marketing to retail marketing and merchandising when she and her husband Michael, a pharmacist, purchased the historic Fair Oaks Pharmacy in 1990. Together they restored it and added the iconic soda fountain which became an instant success along Route 66 and the site of a host of numerous television and movie shoots. In 2010 Meredith and Michael bought Webster’s C...

This week’s guest is Laura McDowell, a leadership coach + strategist & founder of Laura McDowell Creative, who specializes in helping entrepreneurial businesses love what they do. Take a listen as Michelle & Laura breakdown, how you, as a business owner, can find new ways to increase revenue, generate leads, and finally achieve your next-level business goals utilizing the EOS system. Website Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Resources

Michelle is back this week with another Solocast to talk stories & lessons from a life in retail, the inspiration for this podcast. She touches on gift & apparel shows, not looking in the rear view mirror, why worrying about what others are doing is pointless, pushing the envelope creatively & a reminder to NOT expand too fast. Grab a notebook, a refreshing drink & find a quiet room. You won't want to miss these tips cultivated from 40+ years in the retail industry.

Lindsay Foster is a personal development junkie with a passion to share her stories of retail, recovery, and resilience with everyone in her life. Lindsay is a student of the industry and began her days of retail in Coeur d' Alene Idaho at the age of 15 while working alongside her Mother at the Original Penny Candy Store. Lindsay went on to study Sociology at Brigham Young University- Idaho after which she received her license in Cosmetology. As a young adult Lindsay battled with a disease that ...

Back by popular demand, we are so excited to welcome back Fabian Navejas, Gift Merchandiser & Buyer for A.C. Vromans Inc., one of the oldest independent bookstores in the country, 128 years old. In addition to working at A.C. Vromans, he is also the Founder of Onederkam.com, which is a small eCommerce gift and home accessories store. His side hustle! On this episode, which we are calling a ‘merchandising roundtable”, Michelle & Fabian jump right in to talk about ALL things merchandising. This is...

Botanic and Luxe started in 2016 as a brick and mortar boutique in Santa Cruz, California. Created by two best friends with a passion for design, beauty, and a holistic lifestyle. At Botanic and Luxe you will find just that - thoughtfully curated home goods, unique gifts for any occasion, natural skin care, and our favorite home accent: plants! They strive to support local makers, fair-trade organizations, and products that we absolutely love and believe in. Everything they bring into the shop h...

We are so excited to have Kelly Morrison, founder of Create Your Affiliate Program (CYAP), as this week’s guest. On this episode, Kelly & Michelle breakdown exactly what an affiliate program is, how to create a profitable affiliate marketing program, and how retailers can utilize affiliate marketing to push online sales and help make more income and more impact by leveraging the power of affiliates. And while Kelly founded Create Your Affiliate Program in 2018, she is not brand new to running s...

This week we are very excited to interview Andrea Harris-Lyons. Andrea founded ANNA+POOKIE after years of being disappointed with the lack of diversity in party supplies. For many years, it had been impossible to find party characters or themes that represent black and brown children. ANNA+POOKIE Party Supplies is the only black, female-owned shop dedicated to providing party supplies created for children of color. In 2017, she began developing a product line of party supplies. In 2018, she l...

On this week’s episode, we welcome Ashlan Christoph, mama of two, business owner and Modern Muse. Ashlan is an owner of multiple businesses, and has worked to create retail spaces that not only inspire her customers but feel good to be in! First creating Serendipity Gift Shop in 2012, a beautiful retail space that became the go-to for gifts in the Studio City, California neighborhood. She began expanding in more esoteric ways in her personal life and it became mirrored in her businesses. In June...

Ark Made was created out of the back office of The Ark Bookstore - Santa Fe's metaphysical wonderland for 40 years. Leighann Huberman, co-owner of Ark Made, had been a buyer and marketer for The Ark for a long time. Joanie and Tsering (Ark Made's 2 other Co-Owners) were, and still are, the owners of The Ark Bookstore. People kept coming in and looking for ways to cleanse their space without having to burn herbs, so they created their Crystal Aromatherapy Mist set - and they were a hit! A rep saw...

‘Breathing Life into Your Brands Mission, Vision & Values with the Power of Visual Storytelling’ After taking her first few years out of college in the traditional agency route, Kaila felt restless… like her cup wasn’t being filled to the top. She had a vision, and she knew the kind of clientele she wanted to serve. She wanted to take her two favorite things—dogs and design—and create something that nobody had done before. Something big, bold, and most importantly, drool-worthy. And so, Dox D...

What started out as Instagram live interviews to stay connected with people during the pandemic, then evolved into a podcast concept and here we are 1 year later, over 6000 downloads and over 50 episodes! This week’s episode is a #solocast with Michelle talking about lessons & stories in launching her podcast 1 year ago – the good (sponsorships!), the frustrating (lost recordings) and what the next year will look like. Hint: Exciting stuff! Thank you to all our listeners. We would not be here w...

Show season is upon us and we are so excited to have Cindy Henry, Vice President of Buyer Engagement, who leads the team that is responsible for bringing retailers to all IMC markets: Atlanta Market, Atlanta Apparel, High Point Market, Las Vegas Market & Las Vegas Apparel Market, as our guest this week! A veteran of the gift and home industry for over 20 years, Cindy also served as Executive Vice President for a gift and accessories vendor for 17 years and managed sales, new products, operati...

This week’s guest is Tyler Tolson, CEO and Founder of Denik, a designer notebook and lifestyle product company that uses a portion of its funds to build schools and support artists. He started the company in 2011 as a full-time student at Utah State University. The company has blossomed into a multi-million dollar brand and serves customers like Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Target in over 16,000 retail locations in North America. Denik also produces custom notebooks for brands like Nike, Dis...

Born and raised in 29 Palms and having always dreamt of creating a unique place for other locals to grab a last minute outfit or gift without stressing on breaking the bank or making the inconvenient drive out of town, this week’s guest is Danielle Stumbo, owner and creator of DonahlueClothing Co, a locally focused women’s clothing & gift boutique located in Downtown 29 Palms, just outside of Joshua Tree. She spent the first half of her career in corporate retail and in 2014, fell in love with s...

This week we welcome Sean Jimenez / Director of Sales & Marketing for Socksmith. Sean, a former retailer, now turned wholesaler, who’s been in the industry for over 25 years. He now manages 40+ sales reps for a great, multi million-dollar novelty sock and design company, Socksmith, based in Santa Cruz, California. During his 25 years in the industry, Sean has built apparel programs for Fortune 500 companies, worked and managed entire design teams for large private label programs, worked in of...

After living in Haiti for five years, Tara moved to Minnesota. When she left Haiti she wanted to make sure she stayed connected to the country and bring the beauty she saw there to the world, thus Cedar and Cypress was born. It began as a small retail website and grew into wholesale, learning and growing from so many people around me in the industry. Cedar and Cypress Designs partners with independent artisans in Haiti. Through customer purchase and support, they are in turn able to purchase and...

Dallas Market Center is the most complete wholesale trade resource in the world. Products include home, gift, lighting, apparel & accessories, and more. We are so excited to have Cole Daugherty, SVP, Exhibitor Marketing for the Dallas Market Center as this week’s guest. Some of the topics Michelle & Cole discuss but not limited to are what’s new & different at this years upcoming Dallas Market June show, Gift for Life, which was founded in 1992 by a small group of gift industry professionals ...

This week’s guest, Yunnie Morena Kim, Digital Food Content Creator Restaurateur for KimChiAvocado is a lover of food (making it, eating it, sharing it), daughter of Korean immigrants, a wife and mother of two sons, who grew up in Southern California and literally married the boy next door. At a young age, she realized the impact that delicious, home-cooked food has. Growing up with two immigrant parents, she watched her mom and dad work hard every day and yet always came home to make a beautiful...

This week’s guest is Ellen Nguyen, founder/creator of the UnitedOther— a spiritual goods company based in Los Angeles. Coming to America from Vietnam with very little money, Ellen was taught to be self made and to create financial security for herself. After making it to the top of the corporate ladder in the beauty industry at some of the most recognized brands in the world, she realized she wasn’t fulfilled. Through learning from wise teachers, working with loving healers, and dedicating to a ...