NY NOW Podcast

She Shoots from the Hip

• NY NOW • Season 1 • Episode 80

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Today’s podcast is not just with a buyer, or merchandiser, or retail consultant, or even a podcaster… it is with all the above! Michelle Sherrier, founder of MC Design Collaboration and host of the Retail Whore podcast and Amy Loewenberg dive deep into Michelle’s 40 year plus career surrounding all things retail, wholesale, and merchandising. Hear about the industry strong people and places she worked for that cultivated her business acumen, aesthetic, and deep understanding of the intricacies of retail. She is a creative curator, and her goal is to help her clients grow their business and increase their sales. And she shares a lot of great merchandising tips along the way!   

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https://www.instagram.com/mcdesigncollaboration/

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Dondrill Glover:

Welcome to The New York now podcast, a modern wholesale market for retailers and specialty buyers seeking diversity and discovery, gathering twice a year in America's design capital, New York City. It's where buyers and designers on Earth have refreshed and dedicated collection of eclectic lifestyle products.

Amy Loewenberg:

Hello, everyone, and welcome to The New York male spotlight podcast. I'm your host, Amy Lowenberg, senior relations manager for New York now, community spotlight podcaster and all around retailer advocate. My focus is to bring you important information, conversations and perspectives from both sides of the aisle. Today's conversation is not just with a buyer, or a merchandiser, or a retail consultant or even a podcaster it's with Michele Sherrier whose life experiences has enabled her to play every role I just mentioned. And today she's letting me turn the tables and interview her Michelle's 40 year plus career in the industry was set in stone by her mother at age 14. This one act was instrumental in paving the way to not just a treasured mentorship and three stores with the famed Fred Segal, a time with Z gallery and anthropology just to name a few. These were pivotal in creating and cultivating her business acumen, by for aesthetic and overall deep understanding of the intricacies of retail and the key role that visual merchandising plays in it. She's a creative curator, and her goal has always been to help her clients grow their businesses by connecting and understanding their clientele and pushing the envelope to increase sales. Michelle is very, very real. She tells you like it is and she doesn't shy away from sharing her life lessons. Take a listen. Hey, Michelle, welcome to The New YorkNow spotlight podcast. Hey, Amy,

Michelle Sherrier:

thanks so much.

Amy Loewenberg:

I am so excited to talk with you. And to get to know a little bit better today. I first learned about you through our mutual friend Barbara Mooney of daisies mercantile in Alameda, California, as her love her. And after listening to some of your podcasts and reading about you, I know you're a West Coast or I'm an east coaster, but I'm pretty sure we've crossed paths many times as we play in the same arena. And actually, I kind of feel like you're my spirit animal.

Michelle Sherrier:

I love that good.

Amy Loewenberg:

So I'm excited to get started. And this is all about you. So let's start at your beginning. You've done and you currently do a lot. Why don't you go into how you first got started into this industry.

Michelle Sherrier:

It started with my mom telling me you're not sitting on your ass again this summer. So, you know, my mom was she was one of the first women in Manhattan Beach to be divorced. So back in like the early 70s. Women just you Their divorce was not really big. And so she was single mom, and she was trying to keep us to keep up with the Joneses. Living in Manhattan Beach, you know, and it obviously wasn't what it is now. But you know, kids going and we're comparing like that person as Opie's and that person talk about dating myself, this person, so she was trying to keep up with that. And she finally was like, Look, you need to get a job if you want to all these things. So she drove me to the mall, and I ended up at the Wet Seal. And well, if you've heard the blast podcast is like I ended up at another store and I badly shoplifted and got fired. Wet steel and that was really my first like real real introduction to fashion and working in retail and actually loving it and went off from there. I went through school and I had a chance to go model in Japan. And I was I think so Junior and went I can't believe my parents signed off on it, but no signed off on a 16 year old going to Japan we were with our agent and interpreters and I came back from school and from Japan. I was like I don't I'm not going back to school. So I haven't graduated like it literally went from like Japan to like going and putting application in a Fred Segal. And I was taking it it was a temp position to work the sale because we had a sale twice a year and they always hired up. And I guess it worked out because I was taken on this full time and went through management. And Fred, I was very lucky to be part of the group that back in the day. If you picked yourself Fred would essentially back you and put you into a store and say okay, it's a sink or sink or swim situation. Here you go. It's your store. And like most of the things I do I literally got the ball and ran with it as far as I could had my stores for I don't know, I think like six or seven years and I had three stores by the end. And then Northridge earthquake came, and you had three stores and Fred Segal. Yeah, it's, you know. So I started at Fred Segal finery with Michael Campbell. He was my boss. And Fred was partners with him. Michael also came into stores the same way. Everybody else do is here's your opportunity. So Fred was actually my mentor, I was lucky enough to have worked side by side with him, which is scary and amazing at the same time, because

Amy Loewenberg:

failed to the great Fred Segal showing. Yeah, he,

Michelle Sherrier:

I mean, obviously, in the industry, I mean, everyone knows his history and what he brought to the world of retail and fashion. And, you know, he was Scuse, my friend, and he was a major ballbuster. I mean, I think anybody who's extremely brilliant, that in that sense, it's like the Howard Hughes. They're like, there is a bit of crazy there. And it's a brilliant, crazy and so I was lucky enough to have him as my mentor and learn the ethics of your working owner. Meaning you you don't you're not at home sending there's no emails on but you're not at home making calls. You're actually on your store floor. You know, he always said you're your best salesperson. And so I ended up with three I had Fred Segal comfort in the beginning, which was a men's like, serve. So quick Silver's. Do you see spots board? I had an opportunity to take on a second space, so I opened the women's division of comfort. And then I think they're still in New York. Terran Terra, Terra Nova Terra city like

Amy Loewenberg:

the Eco line, right?

Michelle Sherrier:

Yeah, they had a huge store at Fred And mind you for 20 Broadway was Fred Segal for better ecology. And that was so far before anyone was recycling or any of that movement that we have now. I mean, it was so far. So tear, tear, whatever the name Sora is, was there in probably, I think they had about 4000 square feet. It was, you know, they didn't last because it's like they were selling everything from toilet paper to beautiful high end bedding to you know, everything that was organic and whatnot. They went out and I had a chance to take it over and like a dumbass, I did not listen to those who are smarter than I like, and I you know very much to Michelle, like, No, I can do it. It's going to be amazing. It's going to be beautiful. And I did it. And you know, here obviously here I'm not with physical anymore. So you know what happened? And the earthquake came and you know, my accountant, my attorney pulled me aside and said, All right, well unplug like you've run as long as you can. And you know, it's time to shut it down. And I I think I was I think I have the prize for I think being the only person that went through bankruptcy during that time it Fred Segal it 27 it you know, you're such a ego thing there you're you know how I mean how do you not get caught up in it but it's like we every celebrity in the city coming in it? It was before your iPhones and as well so you were in very intimate. You could pick up the phone and say, hey, you know Meg Ryan, we've got your shirts that you ordered and it's very different now but you get so balloon headed in the like, look at me and I've got thrift stores at Fred Segal

Amy Loewenberg:

not I mean, I was gonna say do you just have a great deal of confidence? Or was it naivete? I mean, you just you took Oh, much at a young age

Michelle Sherrier:

fool. I think both I you know, I think most of it was ego though. I mean, I talked about that last a lot a lot in the podcast that it's like that you get so caught up in like the what look at me and I'm from Fred Segal and excuse my dogs no shows you know you go into the gift shows or apparel shows and you've got to that was one of your badges and it was you walk in and people were like oh my gosh, Fred Segal Come sit down. You know what can we get you anything? You know, it was my star status. So you know at 20 You're like, yeah, like arrived in the same breath as happy as people are to see you like, Oh, if they win, you're an asshole to them, which I kind of got to be they're really happy to see you go down and they're really like, okay, bye, Michelle. Yeah, good luck. I mean, but it was great lessons. I mean, honestly, like I So fast forward to closing stores. I was at Z gallery for I want to say like for five or six years

Amy Loewenberg:

I remember as the gallery I lived in San Francisco for a while and I worked in the stonestown Galleria. Yeah, it wasn't the gallery like right down the hall.

Michelle Sherrier:

Or I still it's funny because we just recorded the it's I'm calling it life after Z gallery but below Fabian who's one of the buyers from Romans, and Alyssa who is with third and wall we both we were all there together and talking about those days of I mean, it was just it was a magical time it was there when design and still owned it, their mother was still alive, she was very much involved in the business. I mean, it just very lucky to have that experience. So headed up, I started as a manager, which I shouldn't have been because they were all on computers, Fred Segal was like a cash register. They use eat out at night. So the poor Melissa who was the assistant manager had to basically like be my manager, and helped me like, onboard me onto a computer system when which I'm very open about that I'm so not tech

Amy Loewenberg:

I have to stare like anytime I have a nightmare or like a bad dream, it's usually that I have forgotten how to close out the cash register. Like I'm not lying

Michelle Sherrier:

Ziqi you just you know, I, I found my loved merchandise because you merchandise merchandise in my stores, but it was all peril but now merchandising gift and home as the gallery and like how they did it as as colored out or themed was all new and I ate it up and I quickly went from being in management to moving into visual because that's just what I was drawn to. I was there for I don't know how long and then anthropology came and recruited me and it was I it was Kristin who had it I wish I could remember her last name but she was the person who basically created the whole aesthetic of anthropology and she came into the gallery and was talking to me and I think I'm the one of the very few people that didn't have to produce a project because you you can interview there and you get on a is no joke, the interview process like how many layers are to end. And to have a project that you you have to hand in that shows your creativity and your quality of workmanship and thank God because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten higher to produce that because I I'm, I'm very good visually, when it comes to crafting little things I'm not so I wasn't Anthro it for seven years. And I mean I ate it up I loved that. I love that company. I love everything that I learned there's Sight Sound and scent and the balance of aesthetic and business and reports and how much reports teach you visually, I mean, all of it. I just I loved it so much. And I think the tipping point was I am very much shoot from the hip. And I am very much say it how it is and you know, there's a way to have conversations in a corporate arena that you don't just call it out, like what happened like and and it just I got I was going through the motions I was doing my job and but I wasn't challenged anymore. And I was so you know, just lay it out the way it is the way my conversation goes with the employees or the management or what what you did close the store on Friday and we read done and beautiful stocked and you come back in mind you this is Thursday promenade to but you come back on Monday and was like oh my god, like the whole place is just trash like nothing. So immediately it was like what happened like I I just learned and realize like this is probably not where I meant to be. And I decided to make a leap of faith against my done husband's like he was not pleased with it. But I was like I'm just doing I'm doing what I love it anthro and Fred Segal and I'm going to do for other people. And I literally took the leap of faith and walked away from like 401k and

Amy Loewenberg:

scary leave my friends,

Michelle Sherrier:

insurance and great, great payer all of it. I just but I really, I really believe that that was a it was time to go and be like I really want to keep doing but for more people than just one store.

Amy Loewenberg:

Now completely understandable. We're actually going to dive into that a little bit later in this conversation, but I want to dive a little further into your merchandising abilities just because they're so stellar. You know, I can't not talk about your merchandising can't not pay you some respect there. It's such a major pillar in your Your life and you've obviously you've had some very influential roles in your career, that event just integral in in not just providing you the education but the inner workings of retail. And I like you really understand the intricacies just like what you're talking about, about how you communicate and how you talk and how you work your way through each level of every aspect of retail, but especially in the visual merchandising role. I think we know who they were, but who are the most influential retailers that you work for? And then, like, break it down a little bit further on how they had a great impact on you. I mean, you've touched on this already, but just dive in a little bit further.

Michelle Sherrier:

I think really Anthro I mean, really, like, I mean, well, Fred Segal in the sense of being in the arena, where each store separately owned and operated, each owner brought their own creativity in their own style. And like the girls Jennifer and Robin CO, who owned Fred Segal sentiments, their their knowledge and, and buying for their body Bath and Body store, like the depth of the inventory they had that taught me you know, more is more and that that abundance factor of having it full and like where it's a candy store, you want it all, Michael Campbell, my old boss, like his I Have perfectionism on just the smallest details of like, a tiny little display case and how perfectly rolled a tie with a clip and like his. And that's the kind of stuff I don't have patience for that really small detail, like I'm all about the big picture, but really anthro and in the you know, from learning how to build tabletops where you get that big display. And, and I can't not mention is Steven Young is Lisa from given young and she and I you know, it's funny, because I think I've been with them for 12 or 13 years. And when I first started, Lisa has a very, very distinct style, like she's so I respect her so much. And she's so good at what she does, it's like, there's very few role models, I have the you know, in the industry and I, I have huge respect for so many people, but is a role model in my age 56 You don't there's not a lot of role models that are out there in this industry for what I do and least is just like, it just blows my mind her worth that can talk about perfectionism. I mean, if anybody has seen those stacked up books, the way she edits, like literally like tapping one side tapping another I mean they are like soldiers straight, but her eye with the architecture and building that of a table top and the height and the balance. I already had some fun Anthro but certainly Lisa and Steven young really raised that for me and you know for for Anthro the the balance of the cross merchandising and the creating a story and reading concepts, they are brilliant at that and that's still now for people that I buy for that still how I buy is in concept so you're not buying ever I mean, it's not the buyers favorite thing and they certainly don't get super stoked about it but the you have a vision and it really is important that it all flows together. And that all comes from anthro and that beautiful aesthetic of pairing things together for that cross merchandising,

Amy Loewenberg:

so aspirational. I mean I just I they they were literally probably the the first stores that actually took my breath away when when you walked through them you know?

Michelle Sherrier:

Yeah, they still do and you know I it's I know they had a change of the soldiers at the top and you know, it's it's very apparent how some of the changes are happening but it was nice to see I'm not sure who posted pictures of I think one of my friends is now working in the New York Rock Center and it seems like the high high key stores everyone's still doing the blow your mind display which is great because it is like it's it's there's nothing like that in retail and I don't know how how you can continue doing that when you are hundreds of stores in and that many employees and trying to relay this message. Yeah, video there so but it's that's really and it still is my aesthetic on how I merchandise and it's still very much how I train my retailers as far as you know, cross merchandising and hand in hand sales and you because it is it. It's really great that it looks amazing. That's great. But honestly if it doesn't sell it doesn't matter and that's That's a huge part of Anthem. Yeah.

Amy Loewenberg:

And it changes from store to store to right. So whatever you're featuring up front and setting up that huge visual packet to send out to your, your teams, it could did you have different visuals for like a, b and c level stores,

Michelle Sherrier:

they'll do an inspiration pack. So you got like, the one I always reference to is Odile, which is this little tiny elderly lady in Paris, in France, somewhere in the countryside that they were on a buying trip. And they found these amazing quilts that Odile made. And they took, she took them back to their house and her house was this very layered, textured home with the wallpaper and the books and photos and you know, it tchotchke and they loved it so much, that became one of our concepts. And the part that anthers so brilliant out is you don't have an item that is a is an item that no matter what season in season out, it's your bread and butter, this is always going to be part of the picture, and how they will reinvent the same item. And you will get a list of all the items that are supposed to be in this concept. So for audio, a lot of it was wall decor, and the the bedding or quilting, and blankets. And so they literally will build it on these are your velocity items, these are your non negotiables that have to be in there. This is where it should be in the lineup of rooms because their store goes from public to private. And what furniture pieces and then they will leave it to the visual team to decide prop wise how to continue on layering it. And so you get very good at dumpster diving, and, you know, going thrifting and finding but it's all about creating this aesthetic of this story of this person who lives there. And that really taught me like the creating a story and like, you know what you see when I go the shows now it's like, when I'm looking for things, I'm looking for things that will be going hand in hand as well as telling story.

Amy Loewenberg:

Right? Right. Right. So what do you think are some of the biggest misunderstandings in merchandising?

Michelle Sherrier:

Oh, that it's going to cost a lot if you bring somebody you know, or that I don't understand how it's going to be, how this much money how it's gonna pay off, or I can do it myself that you can but you know, have you seen any difference in how you're in? It's, that's probably the biggest we can I can do it myself. And you can but you know, I think having an outside set of eyes and somebody that actually does it professionally.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah. Yeah. And just how about just having support so you're not doing everything yourself? I mean, isn't like the biggest thing is delegation and actually, like allowing other people to like, represent your brand and in your voice.

Michelle Sherrier:

Yeah. And what's what's ironic is that I'm a horrible delegator. You know, I think that everyone, I mean, it is a cost, it is something you have to build into your business, it is a cost, but the payback is huge. And I think that, you know, tech, thank god Touchwood that all my business has been word of mouth. And I love more than anything, being able to for the people that will share their sales reports, but always touch it back with them, like after we did, like, I just did a new store. And we just redid part of their brand location. I'm always like, okay, what are the what sold the departmentally? Like, what bumped up? We increase this, we put out more of that, like, what what, what are the numbers? Are the numbers showing it? Like, I need last week's numbers or even like the month before? And can you give me and they're like, not used to doing report. So he's like, let me spend a lot of people looking at it, though. And like, any number?

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah. Well, you had some good training to be able to do that. Um, so you consider yourself to be a creative curator. And you recently shared your top 10 display tips for giftshop magazine. So for those who may have missed that feature, or need a refresher, we're going to do something fun. I'm going to list your top 10 And you're gonna give me a sentence or two to define. Okay, okay. All right. Here we go. Number one, it rhymes when in doubt, color it out.

Michelle Sherrier:

To avoid the miscellaneous items that you have a lot of us it's gonna be more than a sense a lot of us you know, you gotta go You gotta you gotta do the show. You get all excited, you order all the stuff, it gets back to your house, your store and you're like, What is this and what is it? So I found miscellaneous items will merchandise beautifully when you color them out.

Amy Loewenberg:

It's actually a really great idea to also when, like the end of the season or something that you have have all those miscellaneous so putting it on sale, yeah. Love it merchandise by concept.

Michelle Sherrier:

Just what I was talking about with Anthro is that you know, it's I find stores are much more cohesive when you're able to merchandise at least a couple groups I love druzy Is it true Z that's in New York? She merchandises General Store style and I love it because it's a drusen company. Yes,

Amy Loewenberg:

yeah, kinds of miscellaneous

Michelle Sherrier:

items is date a little bit all merchandise beautifully together. So I guess as a concept, that would be her concept, but I feel like it makes a much more cohesive store when you are able to both start at the show level buying in concept and then buy time to get to your store and then you can feed in other items from your store that you know may or may not go with it color wise, but certainly makes it much more cohesive space.

Amy Loewenberg:

Agreed. This is bringing me back to my days at natural wonders bidding.

Michelle Sherrier:

Bidding is my favorite thing on earth, stars baskets. All of us buy from a lot of the same vendors. So you get those lip balms or whatnot in these boxes and I don't know the proper technical name for them. But I'd like to take it all out of that and put it in a jar so it looks a little bit more special. And it doesn't look like Sorry, CVS, CVS, yeah. Where it's, you know, in there sometimes that packaging works but I also find that it helps when you're building your bookcases, it helps with your pattern something road up, something's stacked something in a bin and then you just keep doing that pattern the jars really help kind of break it up and as well as kind of like corral all these loose miscellaneous things that can be floating around on their own.

Amy Loewenberg:

And just to jump back to number two that is Shelly at Drew's and she just opened her second location and she's in the Catskills her store

Michelle Sherrier:

I yeah, I I forget who where I was where I got introduced to her but her store is so there's very at least with this there's very few places that I as Glenn sank that used to be the president Anthro that gobsmacked me that was his word like you were always like trying to gobsmacked so in the retail where there's like, because we all buy the same things and because I'm seeing it at wholesale and retail. It's really hard to get like, oh my god, that's amazing merchandising amazing. Probably like her store and pigment in San Diego. Oh,

Amy Loewenberg:

I can't wait to see it.

Michelle Sherrier:

Oh my god. Phenomenal Murcia.

Amy Loewenberg:

Phenomenal, phenomenal. That's Chad and Amy Right? Yeah. God, there's so many amazing retailers out there. Okay, um, the hardware store is your best friend. First of all, I have to tell you, I could spend like 15 hours in an Ace Hardware store just saying

Michelle Sherrier:

well, the old the ones that are like privately owned tiny little mom and pop harbor stores are the best because they're things you will never see at the big box places but regards to like risers the garden store with pavers. astroturf to cover we cover tables at Steven young a lot in in Africa, we just filled stapled on the bottom cement board covering walls and cement board it paints beautifully it absorbs it has a texture it's inexpensive. Those copper brushes that you take paint down in those enjoy cases with rings popped in them. It's like I there's so much stuff that you can do there. That's not expensive.

Amy Loewenberg:

I love it. You just you want to make me merchandise to open a store just so I can merchandise all the products Okay, and this is really important. Don't treat your window like a garage sale.

Michelle Sherrier:

Oh Lord, that's kind of self explanatory, but you've gotten by them it's like the theory I hear it all the time. Well, it's in the window if it's in the window also or if it's at the cash wrap or sounds like yes, it will but there's a limit to and it's like literally they will check everything all this is new and it's like that's awesome. But what story are you telling and and the whole idea of your Windows is same thing storytelling and or if anything, just showing new things, but spread it out. Like you don't need to put it all in the window. But I've gone by store windows that, you know, and I get grief about this all time. Mannequins without hair that had hair at some point that still have the tape on Under put a hand on your Windows your calling card to the world and your windows or your 32nd chances someone walks by and is looking at and go. Okay, that looks amazing. Because your store may look amazing. But if your windows a garage sale, it's a lot to take in some people love that look, but most times it's it's just less is more and think more curated. Yeah, I find

Amy Loewenberg:

them overwhelming if I see them on the window, like I don't need to go into your store, you know.

Michelle Sherrier:

I mean, literally every surface has been covering some of the windows are seeing. Wow, that's a lie. Like

Amy Loewenberg:

you're standing in front of the window, and you actually have to look up because it's piled So

Michelle Sherrier:

honestly, yes.

Amy Loewenberg:

It happens it happens, which which kind of leads into six show items as you would use it.

Michelle Sherrier:

Yeah, I, when I've realized customers will not open the door to a display case. And they will not take the lid off of boxes and things. I don't know what what that human reaction is. But in realizing that years ago, two's company did this brilliant magnifying glass that is in the shape of a paint stick or a paintbrush. And yeah, we had it stacked in the men's department with some books at Burt's pharmacy. And I'm looking through reports and like nothing's not one of them saw. I mean, this is a pharmacy that deals a lot of elderly people that use magnifying glasses. So going to the store and looking at it again, I'm like, right we lids on it, the box explains clearly what it is. But clearly no one's paying attention to it. So take it out of the box. And then we opened up one of the coffee table books, and then put the the magnifying glass on the verbiage so you can clearly see the magnifying glass, and they saw but the lid thing and not understanding what it is because not your customers aren't always going to read the box. Right?

Amy Loewenberg:

Right. I like this one to get inspired. Yeah, that

Michelle Sherrier:

mandatory it Anthro was once a month, you had to get out of your store, and you had to go get inspired. And that meant going to museum or reading a movie that was inspiring, or for me was always magazines. It's still to this day is my biggest source of inspiration but going to other people's stores and seeing what other people do not in the caddy, like you catty part of like, you know, we're like comparing yourself but to see what other people are doing and see like the good and the bad, but it mean really you need to get out of your stores you're and that's what happened with me an anthro that was part of it too is I spent seven or eight years there and the same four walls that I couldn't I couldn't think past my four walls anymore even with my inspiration days but you know, as owners, I think that you're in your stores all the time and it's it's very rare, you get a chance to go walk other stores or other cities or go through magazines and because you always have something else to do and you've got kids and you've got dinner make and orders to read at home and but getting inspired is so important because you come back with so much energy and you're so excited. It's like okay, we sell all that like let's try something different and it forces you to kind of think outside the box on how you're doing it if you're open minded enough to go and look at it that way and I think that's really important. So

Amy Loewenberg:

important, so important. Cross merchandising.

Michelle Sherrier:

Not only does it tell a story or help you know tell that lifestyle story but it has its add on sales. So candles and candleholders matches with candles, soap dishes and soap and you know it helps perpetuate the story but more importantly it creates Hand in Hand sales.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, yeah. This one I like a lot to risers think outside the box or think outside the plexi

Michelle Sherrier:

I should say, oh my god, this is like my I will stand on my soapbox till the day I die of getting plastic risers and Anthro you're just not allowed to use them. And while

Amy Loewenberg:

those surprised to hear that I had no idea but now I think about it. I've never seen a piece of plastic in there holding up a piece of merchandise.

Michelle Sherrier:

They you know, our risers were just what I was saying is like they're pavers from the hardware store are there for four by fours are cut down and used interestingly or their soup cans the lids off have in the kitchen section to use as rows but plastic risers, nine times out of 10 Yeah, they are good in the sense of if you can use them in the back row and you can cover it up with something a book standing up stacks in the you don't see the plus button nine times out of 10 I swear to God, I'll use the plastic riser. Literally you don't even see the product anymore. You just see the plastic riser.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, I was always taught Well, when I was first taught, it was all about the pyramid, the vignette, right? So we would use the riser in the back and I agree with you like, I don't want to see it. So like I would think about my merchandise what I put where and I would cover it up. But you know what, I always forgot. Good walk around the fixture and bam. Yeah, very true.

Michelle Sherrier:

architecture, architecture is so important to have that high, but there's so many other ways you can get that. But again, like if you're in your store forever, and you never get a chance to get out and see what other people are doing or you know, it's this plastic risers are but I mean, I'll tell you a quick story, my account serendipity in Studio City God, I love Ashlyn. It's like one of my closest friends now. And Asha, when I first came to her, she had loved her plastic risers and loved little pieces of mirror, and like, so I literally, I went to the first time we did our workshop, I took literally every passing and she's like, Where are you taking my love, I love my plastic crisis you're not using and I would come back and all the plastic risers were back and I take them all away again. And now you know it's seven years later and now she's like all plastic risers praise God are not really good with like, finding other like slices of wood or her risers takes

Amy Loewenberg:

a while to get us out of our our, you know, Norm, you know, like drilled in. So you kind of you kind of touched on this, but let's expand on it because you're talking about lifestyle props now. So, to me, I'm you're thinking more grandiose, right?

Michelle Sherrier:

Well, lifestyle, to me, it's a you know, for Anthro. Again, for an example, we we they had a kitchen section and the wall decor section in the kitchen section was really everything for tabletop. And so reducing risers, we would use canned goods, I mean, something you would use in your kitchen, that would be a great riser. And so canned goods are inexpensive, and they're modern, clean, you can tear the tear, always tear the label off, unless the labels like some cool really vintage looking vegetables, like some obscure thing that you can find, but by far and large tear that little tear the label off, and they make amazing risers. And they fit with that that concept. So a bit more of a lifestyle. For garden we always use I keep going back to pavers or bricks are great, like what what you would use in the wheelbarrow or something like that. I mean, there's lifestyle is really creating a look that is less lined up. And again, sorry, CVS, less CVS, and we're just lined up and straight in for where it feels like somebody could walk in and they're at home and they're in their bathroom or they're in their kitchen.

Amy Loewenberg:

Right so it's not like you're walking into necessarily like a table setup, but just your home. Yeah, I love it. I'm totally could talk about that for hours with you. But I want to jump into another topic because you do a podcast and I love it. And we have to talk about it. It is the retail whore. I have to ask you how you came up with that name.

Michelle Sherrier:

I it's it's I love it. I know it turns some people off like I there's people I've said, you know, I'd love to have you on the podcast. Oh, what's the pockets name? The retail horror and you see this little little like, ooh, like Did she really say that? My mom didn't even know the name of it. I'm pretty sure she would not be down with it. But you know, I've done literally everything in retail from stock person to assistant manager to manager to a buyer to emerge. So I figured you know, I've done everything so I mean kind of like a horror in the business as horrible as that sounds but yeah, it's it's I'm a retail horror and I've been in retail for my entire I mean since I was 14 So

Amy Loewenberg:

I used to call myself a retail bitch.

Michelle Sherrier:

I stopped I in somewhere along the way. I interviewed somebody and they introduced me to their marketing person and her name was media ho I'm like I love that.

Amy Loewenberg:

You know, it's just so it's so more accepted these days. I heard your podcast with kitty meow boutique. Yes, Cat Cat, of course kitty meow. She's fantastic. And her card line. I mean, there are so many card lines out there with profanity. It's walk down the aisles of any trade show without seeing like you know, the F bomb dropped 100 times you know and I personally i i like how it is a little bit more accepted and looked and sought out now.

Michelle Sherrier:

Why it's accepted except for Facebook will not it'll allow us I mean, it's weird Instagram, we can use it for Yeah, who owns Instagram? We're not allowed to use the word horse. Oh, my poor digital marketing person has had to go around all the like, how do we spell it fanatic? So it's four, h w h o r, is how we gotta? Well, at least it sounds like it. But you know, it's not for everyone. And I know that because I drop F bombs on it all the time. And it's, but it's, it's supposed to be cheeky and fun and fun. It is not as serious because there's so the podcasts that are out there when I was researching what else is out there. It's like, they're all very serious. And they're all numbers and forecasting. And I don't know, I couldn't get through five minutes to them. It was like, I just wanted to hear something about retail. It was fun. And, you know, we all know, we've spent, you know, so many hours in their stores. You know, there's we all share the same stories in the same crazy customers. And yeah, yeah,

Amy Loewenberg:

I mean, you started this channel, like, like, not even a year ago, right? Oh, yeah. You give us one a week, you interview people in many different aspects of the industry. Like you just said, like shop owner, service providers, industry, friends, but you even share your life lessons with us. How did you land in this space? I mean, I guess you just kind of said how you did but like how? Sorry, jump in? Because I just do got a question. So jump in.

Michelle Sherrier:

It started when we're in shutdown. And you know, all this went from going 100 miles an hour to like, Okay, what do I do now? And I was literally like, everybody trying to find other things. So I started going live on Instagram, doing interviews with retailers, and just like, finding out what like what they were doing and how they're going through and how they were, quote, pivoting and I hate that word now. But like, all of us had to do it. And it was like, What are you doing? Like, what? Like, how are you? I mean, are you you know, are you baking on your time off? Are you I mean, it was so much fun to find out from you know, I call it retailers wholesalers and hustlers. So it was so much fun to find out from my friends who are hustlers that are chefs and, and whatnot. And all like all of our world's stopped and to find out what all these very busy, very successful, very driven people who probably have never had this much time off in their life. What are you doing now? Like, what are you doing for business? Like, what are you doing? How are you changing? Like, we're, I mean, talk to Kelly and Lowe from Kingfisher were my first first one and those two pivoted so fast, it was crazy in it, it's I think, the biggest takeaway during that time was we'll how are you? How are you getting people to your store, so whether it be drop off merchandise or Harry, and you know, the going live was the big thing, right, or whatever the CH shop it whatever the the other platform was, and you know, there's it was very clear for those who were comfortable with going live and going on camera and had websites that were working. It was very clear from the old retail mentality to the new retail mentality of like, you know, there's people that just boom, we're going live and it was like, Paul, so when we all got back to normal I mean, I started working again soon as they semi opened up I was still even though we were shows were not really shows I was still setting up for you know, my showrooms and I was still going to some stores that were like we still need to look to look at because we're doing live sales and we are and so, you know, I got back to work relatively quick. And then fast forward. It was like, I really kind of miss doing that. And I on it literally on a whim. Like I'm gonna start a podcast and I talked to somebody and I got Kathleen, who's our editor and my best friend who is my nerd herd who she's like, Yeah, help out. And she even now says, like, I had no freaking idea it was gonna end up being like a real job. She's like, seriously, I was like, oh, yeah, I'll help you in this cute little podcast and it's i It's crazy because it's July will be a year so we're not even anywhere near a year yet. And we've gotten we're almost at 5000 downloads and the response has been wild like I really it's beyond what I thought and I you know, I mess words up all the time and I get stuck and we don't man you are real. I was real as a get but you know hearing the PEEP everyone's stories that I've talked to you and and hearing what their philosophies are and and, you know, HR things that have come up and I mean, it's it's been so much fun. I feel like this is what I'm meant. I get to do my second half of my career.

Amy Loewenberg:

I love it. I love it. It's amazing what we've all kind of found for ourselves during that year and a half two year period of Yeah. Pivoting but really reinvention, you know,

Michelle Sherrier:

I mean, I can't do much says but I'm, I am extremely grateful for you know, I'm very lucky that I was working during it. I'm very lucky that I you know, it was a very different situation for me, but honestly, the gift of, of, you know, listening to people what would what they were going through and like really sitting and listening and, and, and the gift of like, all these people out of nowhere coming for like, Hey, we're we need help in our store. And I was like, literally like at that point. I was like, we're still close. You really need help, like, okay, like I've never had that much time off ever. It was wild. Yeah, it was beautifully wild.

Amy Loewenberg:

Do you have any favorite episodes that you've that you've recorded so far?

Michelle Sherrier:

The one Sammy. That was why part of my anthropology series Samantha who headed up Newport beaches anthropology was one of my favorite eight, you can tell because it's she was like my intern. She's like my kid and you that was so much but I'll tell you one of my favorites is actually this week. It's Nathan from Nathan unco. Ah, and he would there's something about you know, somebody's knowledge of the retail industry but someone that's so engaging and and can talk story and tell you about like, Oh, these crazy stories that went on and why what how they got in he's so engaging and he's so knowledgeable in the industry and he was such a fun interview so that I think that's one of my favorites so

Amy Loewenberg:

far. That's cool. I I love meeting all these retailers through through your podcasts. I'm just piling my way through. It's

Michelle Sherrier:

think it's mother, Barbara, I have to say like, the friendships I've made because you know, you get to certain age and you don't sound like you make friends like and what I've realized in this undersell so it's like all of us each other in showrooms all the time. Like we all walk by each other. And for some reason. No one's like, Hey, how are you? Like, it's not? It's not an industry of like warm and fuzzy, like people just don't like, you know, hey, I'm Michelle, I'd like to meet I'd like to say hi. And you know, I love your store and you're wet. In this. It's interesting. Like, I really have some amazing friendship with women that I've interviewed that I've continued to stay friends with him Barbara is one of them first. I mean, Barbara is like our number one fan like hands down our number one fan and I'm so lucky to get to know her and and you know, it's I would never have had this opportunity to meet any of these women or men that you know, I've had the chance to interview and talk and laugh with and hear their story.

Amy Loewenberg:

I mean, I can tell you we bounced a few emails back and forth but the minute we were on the phone your name came up in like seconds.

Michelle Sherrier:

I just she honestly like she's our biggest fan. She's so we're, we're gonna start doing three two horror roadtrip, because originally, it was intended to be YouTube where you could see the story person and you know, I've been bootstrapping this my whole life myself this whole time and it's like, you know, to edit audio is one thing and edit audio edit YouTube as well as a whole nother thing on like, I'm just we're gonna just release it at first for just audio and you know, in talking to like the surgeon James talking to Jamie and listening to their story of how they built it from the ground up and you know how amazing sounds and as a retailer, we're all visual. So all I want to do is I want to see her starting even Barbara I'm like well you post pictures of your damn store I don't guess I want to see inside of it. So Mara from fine lines is like you should do road trips, just pick up state and drive. So we're actually going to do it we're we're going to start the first ones we're going to film we're going to combine it with my trip for my my store up north masani we're going to go hit Nathan's and we're going to hit Barbara's and then we're going to hit Sarah Jane because I have to see her store we're gonna go I mean it's amazing to me just the ground up and exposed brick and poured concrete and three floors of the garden rooftop I'm like we I have to see this like so. I don't know how many we're going to be able to do in a year but right now for sure there's four plan that will be all visual of seeing people's stores and the detail on the exterior and displays and I use everything we all love as retailers.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, well, I mean you're speaking my language. I I do Instagram store tours as part of my, my, my daily vibe, you know? Yeah. Following years off way, thank you, like honored that you follow. I'm super excited because I'm heading out to San Francisco at the end of April for San Francisco now are first coming up out there in the Fort Mason center. So yeah, I totally want to see you. But I emailed Barbara and I was like, I'm driving out I'm coming Alameda.

Michelle Sherrier:

I am so excited to see her store and upstairs how she's really done the apartment upstairs where she's going to hold classes and you know, somewhere for people to stay if she's having because I think she's having Hester and cook was going to do one of the classes were teaching people how I mean, it's brilliant when you think about like Pastor and cook, teaching people how to do a tablescape with historic works at what better person than the owner of hamster and cook. So I guess she'll have an apartment. She has an apartment built up there so the person can stay in this beautiful boutique style apartment, do the class. I mean, I just listening to barbers like how she's what she's doing is so forward thinking but also I'm like, she's known for her merchandising and her store and historical building and like, that's the kind of stuff I lead. So inspired by that. I cannot wait to go out to see you have to post pictures, please. Well, of course, of course. The pictures.

Amy Loewenberg:

Okay, so we are coming to the end, but we definitely need to talk about your business MC design collaboration. Your life experience has clearly led you on the path to create your company. Was it 2010 When you created that, do I have that correct? Yeah,

Michelle Sherrier:

we I left the anthro and stepped out and started with one store in pharmacy somehow I've ended up with pharmacies. And I'll say like, one of my favorite things store was was a store in Manhattan Beach called center drug when we were kids and my mom would take us down there to pick up her stuff. And there's always something to buy there was like always amazing gifts. And so I started with at San Pedro pharmacy who the owners were or like my Jewish parents, and you know, I was with them until they close the store and I vacillated between now wholesale showrooms and retailers. So it's kind of nice that you know, when it ramps up for holiday, you're really not doing a lot of shifts as merchandisers. It's really about selling at that point, small subtle. I'm in wholesale showroom. So I work for Steven young peaking handicraft, art flow trading and sales producers. And then write shows and I turned magically into a buyer the first couple of days in Las Vegas show for the woods pharmacy, and then it come back and I start circling back around to all my retailers and you know, one by one it's I think it's hard for them because they don't see me from December to like, beginning of February January's tough and I'm always like, you should be on sale right now anyway, and we'll roll all new concepts out and I'm busy training right now a lot of the employees so they are able to kind of make small shifts, at least keep it up and keep the look up. But it's, it's everything from visual merchandising, to retail development, you know, teaching people how to set their floors or you know, they're not on report systems how to utilize the reports for you know, driving their business showroom designed to just show room setup and change outs. And it's fun because I kind of get to dabble in everything I love and I'm never in the same place to show setup. I'm never in the same place for you know, more than a week. I'm on to the next amazing store and they all have amazing things and they all have a different feel and a different look and different fixtures and they're all kind of puzzles on what works with what and it's been it's that I love what I do. I really I really am lucky when I get up in the morning and I go to work that I'm I really love what I do and it's like I love the challenge and I love the puzzle part of you know what's working and what's not. How great that you

Amy Loewenberg:

actually get to say that. So you you don't just dance on both sides of the aisle you you basically dance from the ground up and all the way back around again you you do everything so how are you balancing this all I mean, you work so many hats and and I know that there's a seasonal you know, shifting here and there but it overlaps. So,

Michelle Sherrier:

you know, I mean it'll be really interesting this year with now with the retail we're ramping up. I I bounced it like I guess I just pick different any the ebbs and flow. Yes, like right now. I'm busy with Bristol Farms trying to because I had to bid Bristol Farms, their holiday installs this time of year. So I'm trying to figure out numbers and quantities of things in you know, it's I just I guess I compartmentalize just kind of like do this for a little bit and you know, stuff does fall through and you have to work on weekends and you know, try and gain but somehow it's always worked out I don't quite know how I think a lot of it is because I'm not at a desk I'm i in the eye today I was at Rob paradise. So this morning, I left the house at five from five till one reworking Rob paradise and then came home took care of some emails doing this with you. And you know, I I'm really trying on the balance part to shut things off at a certain hour and spend time with my dogs and my husband and making dinner and leaving my phone in the office because I'm a horrible squirrel or like, just got me to scrolling Instagram, and the big one is like, not going to bed with the phone scrolling through Instagram. And that's has been on my my New Year's resolutions for the last three years. And he's still doing it, but I'm getting better. Where at least I'm like leaving in the other room.

Amy Loewenberg:

No, I'm gonna try to practice that too, because it's

Michelle Sherrier:

horrible. And it's not even like inspirational crap. It's like stupid tick tock, and animals dancing. And I guess it's kind of brainless, but I realized if I read I'm just so much better. Like, I'm calmer if I read before I go to bed as opposed to ramping myself up with tick tock penny.

Amy Loewenberg:

I do like those little animal videos, so I can't help it.

Michelle Sherrier:

Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm sure you saw that one on stories. That one of that kid there. It's just so bad. It's like it just I literally I'll sit there and it's like, I try and keep this Hounddog because my husband's like you're not supposed to be on the phone. Turning it down turning it

Amy Loewenberg:

all right. Well, listen, I could continue this forever. So please promise me that we're going to have a continuation conversation at some point.

Michelle Sherrier:

Well, I need to have you on my podcast now on air. Just tell me what, okay, I'm gonna send you an email. Because I think I love talking to you. And I, you know, I want to know more about what you do. Because, like, you were in New York, and I haven't done Harbor Group since COVID.

Amy Loewenberg:

I know I was going into the system. Like when was she last year?

Michelle Sherrier:

watching the show? Because I just you know, I love Showtime. And I love shows. And I'm fascinated by what you do. So I can't wait to have that conversation. And I we do need to meet so hopefully our paths or are you do you go to Vegas?

Amy Loewenberg:

I do. Let's see I've got we'll talk offline. I've got a myriad of markets I'm hitting, I'm pretty sure you're going to be in at least one of them. Alright, I'm going to end with one last question. What is your best tip for making this world a better place?

Michelle Sherrier:

Say thank you. And please. It's so they're so underrated. And I have to remember that, you know, people are people are working so hard. And it's like, if you can't say please, and you can't say thank you at the end. It's it's horrible. It's It's It's the easiest thing to do. And it's the nicest thing and look them in the eye when you're saying

Amy Loewenberg:

yeah, those are the best words to end this with other than how can somebody get in touch with you?

Michelle Sherrier:

MC design collaboration@gmail.com Or you can DM me through my Instagram MC design collaboration Both super easy. I respond. I answer almost every question that comes up on DMS. I pride myself on that it could be a question and what we're doing if you have a question of what the product is, I will give you all the information I can. Well, you have been

Amy Loewenberg:

more than generous with the information you've shared with us thus far and your time. This has been thoroughly enjoyable. And I just want to say thank you so much for spending time with us tonight.

Michelle Sherrier:

Thank you. It was a pleasure. Thank you again so much. I really appreciate it.

Amy Loewenberg:

Thank you for joining us today. I hope you enjoyed our conversation as much as I did. And don't forget to check in with New York now weekly for new and exciting conversations crossing over a myriad of topics and people and make sure to follow us on Instagram at NY on their score now. And SanFran underscore now and me as well at AMI dot 80 and y n o w. You can find us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Thank you so much and I will talk with you soon.

Dondrill Glover:

Thank you for listening to the New York now podcast. Make sure to tune in weekly for engaging and insightful conversations touching on the most relevant topics facing our community today. Is it New York now.com To learn more about our market, and how you can join in on the conversation