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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 they have learned along the way. Brace yourself for The Retail Whore, a show that entertains and educates!
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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 merchandising. By age 14, she was already attending trade shows as a buyer, and throughout the 1980s she gained hands-on experience in retail sales at Nordstrom, JC Penney’s, and Hickory Farms. In 1990, she married her husband Scott, with whom she recently celebrated 35 years, and in...
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 began as a hobby at home quickly turned into a full blown business. Known for its signature layer of beach sand in each jar, it is a nod to its breezy, ocean-born roots. In 2023, Amber expanded her vision by opening up Boho Bungalow, a brick-and-mortar shop that brings toget...
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 up about lessons learned, new projects, and the power of trusting your gut when things no longer align. What’s inside Lessons from show season and why walking away from misaligned opportunities was the best decisionA behind-the-scenes look at working with a new retail ...
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, they make and sell over 300 different items—everything from all-natural cleaning solutions to DIY kits. As you can probably tell, Gauge has a bit of an ADD approach to creating, constantly dreaming up new ideas! In January 2024, they took a leap of faith and expanded in...
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 leather handbags to interior spaces and botanical elements. The idea for Cass began with a vintage handbag Debra had held onto for years. Its shape, structure, and simplicity always seemed to work, always seemed to get people talking. When she decided to restore the bag ...
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. In 2014, she opened a brick-and-mortar location in Raleigh, NC, and after 8 successful years, relocated to a larger store in Mebane in 2019. As a local to Mebane, Megan wanted to bring a little happiness to the corner of downtown, with a shop that constantly evolves with ...
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 and, 16 years later, celebrated her anniversary by buying the business. Since then, Linnaea has honored its legacy while transforming it into Artisans & Agency, a space that champions craftsmanship, community, and connection. With a degree in art history, Linnaea brings...
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 improve recruitment processes, align hiring with company culture, and develop employer brands that attract top talent. With over 30 years of experience in recruitment and nearly two decades as a successful business owner, Andrea understands firsthand how great hires driv...
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 two decades helping retailers master everything from sales to strategy, Bob joins Michelle for a deep, honest, and inspiring conversation. From weathering tariff chaos to elevating team sales performance, this episode is a must-listen for any retailer navigating today’s unpr...
This episode is sponsored by Patrick & Company, a wholesale sales agency proudly representing nationally and internationally branded companies. Located in the Dallas Market Center, for over 30 years they have been the go-to source for retailers helping to discover those unique, sought-after, and stylish brands. Jazmin Montalvo is the passionate owner of Frida Bae Co., a vibrant brick-and-mortar boutique where creativity and culture intertwine. As a mother and bonus mom to four daughters,...
This episode is sponsored by Patrick & Company, a wholesale sales agency proudly representing nationally and internationally branded companies. Located in the Dallas Market Center, for over 30 years they have been the go-to source for retailers helping to discover those unique, sought-after, and stylish brands. Kate Duff is the Founder and Wholesale & Gift Guru at Claxton Consulting. With a deep affection for the industry that raised her, Kate brings a wealth of knowledge, experience,...
Ready to Zen? Let's go! ZenGenius specializes in providing Visual Merchandising, Creative Direction, and Special Events support to retail brands, businesses, and organizations of all types. Going on 25 years, ZenGenius has been a proud part of the creative and retail design communities across the globe. Michelle and the team kick things off by talking about the beginning of ZenGenius and how it evolved into the powerhouse it is today. The ZenGenius team also shares stories from their projec...
Robin Kramer is a brand marketing maven, natural business nurturer, master of relationships, and a sales expert who has an impressive history with leaders in the retail industry who have built their brands on innovative merchandising and strong service cultures. Among these brands is Williams-Sonoma, Inc., where she utilized her operations management background to develop and refine the process of opening new stores during a period of rapid expansion across that organization’s three retail br...
Do you ever wonder who makes those chalkboard signs at Trader Joe's? Well, that's how Benjamin Soto got started—drawing Trader Joe's signs by day and designing band merch at night for Fearless Records. In 1998, Ben was recruited by Paul Frank to help kick off the massive millennial pop-culture brand Paul Frank Industries. Ben managed the brand creative for about 10 years, which meant involvement with character designs, the tee and fleece program, pajama prints, photoshoots, trade show booths...
Whether you're a chef or a retailer, self-care can be a difficult concept to grasp at times amid the endless 16 hour work days that are at times your reality. Michelle and Chef Amber sit down to talk about how they've learned to care for themselves while still being bad*sses in their respective careers. Chef Amber believes in the transformative power of food, both for physical health and emotional well-being. Her culinary journey began after earning a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Managemen...
Today on The Retail Whore, Michelle and Monica connect and share who business owners can make the most of social media to grow their business. Monica Little left her corporate job to pursue her own dreams and built a multiple 6-figure organic skincare small business. She created Etsy Algorithm Secrets and Product Biz Academy to guide other handmade small business owners along the path of turning their hobby and passion into a successful and profitable business. She’s the creator of the Grou...
This week we welcome Hilary Meehan, Co-Founder / CEO Mirthos. She believes in creative living, making life the perfect juicy delight of your wildest dreams & inspiring more people to enjoy this glorious mess called life (*there's a card for that!) She’s developed a line of enthusiastic & encouraging greeting cards to help share this with the wild & fancy weirdos who need to hear it most. After almost 2 years of operating under her own name & with a “no holds barred” aest...
This week’s guest is Mary Liz Curtin, owner of Leon & Lulu, Detroit’s own award-winning, 15,000 square foot, lifestyle store – which was originally a roller rink! Mary Liz is passionate about independent retail. Her knowledge of all aspects of the gift, craft and home industries gives her a unique point of view, encompassing the needs of retailers, vendors and sales representatives. She is also a heck of a retail shopper and loves to crawl malls, discover downtowns and walk through the We...
We are thrilled to welcome back Dale Rhodes, Senior VP with Katin USA. Dale’s path to success began at 17 years-old, when he worked in the retail industry at MGA (Guess Jeans), Camp Beverly 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. This episode is in celebration of National Sober Day, which took...
Nicole Swartz is the attorney and founder behind Sprout Law, a law firm for women business owners. She's also a business owner as well. In 2015, she started a skincare line that was featured in hundreds of stores around the world and even the Golden Globes gift bags. After two years, she had to rebrand the entire business because she didn't have a trademark. Now, she helps other women trademark their brands to avoid the same situation. Nicole is featured as an expert in Forbes, the Washington...
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