Recent Episodes

A family who travels together, stays together. The Litt family has traveled the world for fifty years, antiquing in over 35 countries! As direct importers, they went on too many buying trips to count. With weekly shipments coming into their retail store, "Mitchell Litt Home" always had something new for customers and designers to discover. The couple worked together 7 days a week, passionately growing their successful namesake business. Fortunately, their eldest son had the privilege (at the tim...

Web Studios West has been building websites, e-commerce solutions, social media platforms, and custom software for over two decades. This week's guest is Shiloh Pettyjohn is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Sales for Web Studios West. Over time Shiloh has become an expert in the field of online retail, website operations, e-commerce hosting, and internet security. He has built and aided thousands of businesses of all shapes and sizes over this time to have smooth running and successful on...

On this week’s episode, Michelle, on-site in Las Vegas for multiple client show set-ups, will be sharing her tips & tricks on the most effective way to attend a gift show. From day 1 strategies, to packing the right snacks, to getting off the re-ordering hamster wheel, this episode is chock full of tips that Michelle has learned from her many years as a buyer! Grab a note pad (tip #3!) and be ready to write down some helpful tips for your next gift show. LA Mart Winter Gift + Show began 1/16/22 ...

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 works, the principle behind the program and how by creating a solid foundation of basic pieces – from a gr...

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 levels of success if you work hard, believe in your dreams, and stay focused on results. She grew ...

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 the Chief Executive Officer for Von Schweikert Audio, a multigenerational, High-End Audio loudspeaker...

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 Anthropologie. We have linked the article for your reference. Sit back & enjoy!

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 position in School Supplies and Home Office. She then moved into the Marketing Team, first in a Licensing role and ...

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 Johnson, Donna Karan, Jimmy Choo, Charles David, Diesel, Oakley, Tumi, Hollywood Bowl, and many others....

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 allowed this partnership to be successful, which led us to this episode. We thought it would be fun to inter...

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. Kelly opened up WELL+GOOD Health Studio in 2019 to help others regain and maintain their health and well...

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 together in this. With that vision, they joined together on this new venture, launching the Jackalope: Indie Artis...

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 showrooms in NYC and had no idea what things like net 30 or open to buy or Xfactory meant. What she did...

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, she learned to weld and continued to dig deeper into her passion for working with mixed materials. ...

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 only discuss her HR philosophy but also finding balance with client calls in different time zones while...

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 backed by her commitment to normalize luxury and help women meet their own needs without feeling like ...

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 TV producer - making shows interrupted by companies selling products to the masses. Mindi has overcom...

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 numbers and behind-the-scenes action to work hand in hand with her talents to create what Daisy’s has beco...

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 industry for 24 years – starting out in apparel design, to merchandising, to jewelry fabrication and desi...

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 Farms Instagram: @bristolfarms Stephen Young Instagram: @stephenyoungshowroom Peking Handicraft I...

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 White. Get comfy as she & Michelle discuss how her business spiked during the 2020 pandemic and the inspiration & journey behind converting a 1950's motorcycle garage into their first brick and mortar retail store. OUR WEBSITE - https://www.theretailwhor...

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 up her things in her favorite place and make the move back to her hometown in the rolling hills of Western Nor...

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 working as a sales rep for a very long time, one day she decided to open up a retail boutique and the rest is h...

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 develop their team of experts to accommodate the ever-growing demand for placenta encapsulation as a uni...