SF Mercantile began in 2008 with the objective of producing high-quality San Francisco gifts and keepsakes designed by local artists. Their products celebrate the vibrant and diverse culture that is unique to California, and all of their items are designed by artists who live in the San Francisco Bay area.

The company was started by Robert Emmons, who saw a niche in the market after working on a project to revamp the gift shops at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and Coit Tower. Both of these outlets were in terrible shape, and the assortments consisted of the cheapest of low-end souvenirs (since then the Japanese Tea Garden has been transformed by a new concessionaire, and Coit Tower will hopefully follow suite soon when it changes hands). While trying to plan a new assortment, it became clear that there was a very limited assortment available to retailers and a need for a better line of San Francisco mementos that are trendier, updated and designed by local artists who know and love the city.

After many years of designing products for other retailers, Robert decided it was time to leave the corporate world behind and create a product line of his own, so in 2008 he began collaborating with other local designers, partnering with the best factories in the industry, emptying his savings, and then converting his garage into a makeshift warehouse; SF Mercantile was born.

SF Mercantile launched their line with 12 San Francisco themed items in the spring of 2009 and since then have grown their product assortment to hundreds of designs, including San Francisco, Wine Country, Sausalito, East Bay/Oakland, Coastal and General California, as well as New Mexico, Arizona and Lake Tahoe. They also design and produce custom products for customers throughout the US and are currently working on new SF Mercantile designs that will be available later this year.

Here, Robert shares how his career background set the stage for him to build out the SF Mercantile brand. Robert and Michelle discuss the launch of his product line and how it’s expanded over the years. Robert also shares details of his new retail space, how he’s learned to delegate responsibility to others, what holiday looks like for SF Mercantile, and his transformational work within the San Francisco community.

Cadeau Ami Agency is solely a road rep agency of 10+ associates that handle the state of CA, AZ, HI, and parts of Nevada for many of their 23 or so boutique/gift brands, such as Chive, SF Mercantile, Sock it to Me, French Broad Chocolate, Pomegranate, Calypso Cards, Good Juju, Ryland Peters & Small, Kei & Molly and has been a part of the industry for over 30 years now.

What’s Inside:

• How Robert built the SF Mercantile brand
• All about Robert’s new retail space
• Robert’s work within the San Francisco community

Mentioned In This Episode:
SF Mercantile
SF Mercantile Store on Instagram
SF Mercantile Store on Facebook

This week’s episode is sponsored by @salesproducersinc, a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website
www.salesproducersinc.com

Kelly Bristol is Vice President of Business Development at Just Got 2 Have It, a B2B Sales Representative Agency with 5 divisions serving 36 states. She is an accomplished senior leader in the gift and home industry with nearly 25 years of experience in the sector. Prior experience includes almost 20 years working on the National Stationery Show as well as subsequent positions at the Dallas Market Center, Brandwise/MarketTime, and Purchasing Power Plus, a hospital gift shop buying group.

Kelly is a board member of Gift for Life, the gift and home industry’s longest-running, volunteer-led national charitable organization, and is a Founding Partner of the new industry movement, Reps are Local Too!

In this conversation, Kelly shares all the details on the Reps are Local Too movement and how it’s bringing rep agencies together from across the country. Kelly and Michelle dive into the benefits of working with your local rep as a retailer and some of the challenges of buying outside of that process. Kelly also shares her experience at trade shows and how she sees the wholesale industry changing in the future.

What’s Inside:

• Kelly’s work with the Reps are Local Too movement
• The benefits of working with your local rep as a retailer
• How agencies are streamlining the trade show experience

Mentioned In This Episode:
Reps Are Local Too
Reps Are Local Too on Instagram
Reps Are Local Too on Facebook

This week’s episode is sponsored by Fine Lines, a west coast wholesale rep agency with showrooms in Las Vegas and Seattle representing over 50 fabulous gifts, fashion + home lines.

Along with his partner Bryce, Andrew Gawdun runs the shop curious... in Hermosa Beach, CA. Andrew started his journey in Colorado at a young age before moving to Nevada with family and then Southern Utah for a few years in his early 20’s. He launched himself into the world of photography, where he opened his own business and then relocated it to Southern California.

During the spring of 2012, Bryce and Andrew met at curious... in Hermosa Beach, where Bryce was sanding wood for a table he was building. They started dating, and soon Bryce convinced Andrew to help with the stationery buying for curious… Hermosa Beach. It was all over then. In November of 2015, Andrew and Bryce married as well as started the adoption process.

2017 June led to the opening of curious… Kauai. After a truck drove through the new location, a month after opening, they spent the next 4 months refocusing the vibe of the Kauai location and making sure they had better wall security. curious… Kauai reopened November 2017. By May of 2018, Andrew and Bryce flew to Missouri to adopt their daughter Willow.

During the early part of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe and altered life and business. Andrew, Bryce, and Willow managed to head back to Kauai for the spring season in early March, but like everyone else in the U.S., they were put under Stay-at-Home Orders. During those two months, they launched their online store and came to the tough decision to downsize from two brick and mortars to just one.

After careful consideration, they closed the Kauai, HI, location just shy of 3 years open. This meant also a move from their home on the island as well. Andrew and Bryce know they’ll return to the island one day, but in the meantime, they’re enjoying life full time in Hermosa Beach, CA.

Here, Andrew shares the history of the store and how it evolved over the years. Andrew and I discuss buying at shows, all of the different departments in store, and the challenges of keeping up with social media. Andrew also shares his thoughts on standing behind your brand and being unique and his buying strategy for the upcoming holiday season.


What’s Inside:

• The history of the curious… store
• The importance of standing behind your brand
• How Andrew’s planning for the upcoming holiday season

Mentioned In This Episode:
www.curiousworkshop.com
Curious on Instagram
Curious on Facebook

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.

Best known as rapper/actor Bow Wow’s mother and manager for most of her career, Teresa Caldwell and her personal style were thrust onto the stage of the public eye when her son became the biggest child star in music and film.

Suddenly in the company of celebrities, pop culture influencers and other fashionistas, Teresa quickly realized that there were women who truly appreciated her fashion sense and aspired to her unique style. In 2012, Teresa decided to share her own personal taste in fashion, launching an online boutique ‘thetasteboutique.atl’ on Instagram, now with more than 43,000 followers.

Having seized an opportunity to occupy the only fashion-focused retail space at The Interlock, a new $450 million retail, office, entertainment and hotel development in west midtown Atlanta. Teresa is poised to bring her unique style to a brick-and-mortar lifestyle brand, aptly called The Taste Boutique.

In addition to discovering curated apparel, home décor and gifts at The Taste Boutique, shoppers will also find Teresa’s own line of ‘TASTE’ lip gloss, as well as her inspirational autobiography, I Once Was Her, which was released on June 26, 2020.

Here, Teresa walks us through her incredible career journey from her celebrity stylist days to starting up her retail empire. She shares all the details on how she curates the vibe in her store and how she switched her strategy when she moved store locations. Teresa also discusses how she decides which gifts to sell in her store, the importance of top-notch customer service, and upcoming fashion trends to look out for.

What’s Inside:

• Teresa’s experience as a celebrity stylist
• How Teresa curates the vibe and experience in her store
• Upcoming fashion trends to watch

Mentioned In This Episode:
https://thetasteboutique.com/
The Taste Boutique on Instagram
The Taste Boutique on Facebook
Teresa Caldwell on Instagram

MC Design Academy is designed to be a space where I get to share my expertise with you, where you'll get to learn all about visual merchandising, design, display, retail, and everything in between. Come along as I practice my craft and be sure to like, subscribe, and follow our socials to keep updated. See you in the merchandising land of MC Design Academy!

The Thumb in Scottsdale, Arizona, isn’t your average gas station. It’s also a car wash, retail shop, in-house bakery, wine cellar, and competition-style barbecue restaurant! The food is to die for, and the restaurant was featured on the hit show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The Thumb’s mission is to offer a new and exceptional customer experience, and it’s safe to say they’re nailing it.

Carole Gibbons is the retail manager and buyer and started her career at The Thumb 8 years ago. Erica Lassetter is also a retail manager and has been with the company for 11 years. Here, they share how the gift portion of The Thumb has evolved since they joined. Carole and Erica also discuss their career backgrounds, how they design the retail floor and approach shows, how they prepare the store for the holidays, and much more.


What’s Inside:

• How The Thumb’s gift space has evolved over the years
• How Carole and Erica approach shows and buying
• How rising costs influence pricing in the retail shop

Mentioned In This Episode:
http://www.thethumb.com/
The Thumb on Facebook
The Thumb on Instagram

This week’s episode is sponsored by Fine Lines, a west coast wholesale rep agency with showrooms in Las Vegas and Seattle representing over 50 fabulous gifts, fashion + home lines.

I’m back with another solo show to catch you up on what’s been going on these past few months! Here, I’ll talk a little about some of the experiences I’ve had over the summer, which flew by so fast. Between our move to Oregon and a super busy summer season, things have been a whirlwind, and holiday and winter show season is just around the corner. I share how things have been since the move, highlights from my summer travels, and more.

What’s Inside:
A catch up on my busy summer season and what’s on deck for fall and winter

Mentioned In This Episode:
MC Design Collaboration on Instagram
Fine Lines Showroom on Instagram

This week’s episode is sponsored by @salesproducersinc, a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long-lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website www.salesproducersinc.com

Susan Esayian is a native of the Pacific Northwest, and she’s been working in the gift industry professionally for 26 years in a variety of roles. From merchandising Kitchen-Aid mixers, buying fine tableware and even carrying a four-poster bed up a mountainside for a catalog photoshoot... and that was just in the first 10 years!

Since then, she’s kept herself immersed in the gift industry as a buyer for a hospital gift shop and merchandiser for several wholesale showrooms and retailers. Retail is not just a job for Susan, but a career that she’s inspired by and passionate about more every day.

Fabian Navejas was born and raised in LA and is a self-taught creative leader and a bona fide retail nerd. With more than 25 years of multi-unit management experience in the retail home furnishings industry, he still feels he’s in the beginning stages of his career. Currently, Fabian is a gift merchandiser and buyer for A.C. Vroman's, Inc., one of the oldest independent bookstores in the country, is 128 years old. A.C. Vroman's operates two bookstores in the Pasadena area and owns Book Soup in West Hollywood, CA, another independent bookstore founded in 1975.

In addition to working at A.C. Vromans, Fabian, is also the founder of Onederkam.com, which is a small eCommerce gift and home accessories store. He also occasionally works on a variety of TV productions, doing everything from set dressing to working in the props department to being a shopper for the art
department. Fabian also worked at IKEA North America in several markets and as a district manager for
Z Gallerie.

Eric Velez is a confident, competent, and imaginative interior designer with extensive experience in residential and commercial spaces ranging from 300k to 2m. With an excellent commercial approach to solving problems, Eric has a proven ability to create fresh solutions for the renovation of interior spaces or new construction.

During his journey as an interior designer for the past 8 years, Eric has succeeded in all design projects, no matter how large or small. He believes that by having a broad understanding of people’s living situations and needs in their everyday lives at home, you’re able to design great solutions.

In this merchandiser roundtable, we’re chatting live from Las Vegas and digging into what everyone’s working on. We also talk about how retail is a business of relationships and how interacting with others live at a show enhances the whole experience. Our roundtable discussion also includes a little about how each guest built their career and some really funny stories along the way!

What’s Inside:

• A roundtable discussion on the world of retail and merchandising
• The value of the live-show experience
• How each member started and grew their career

Mentioned In This Episode:
Susan Esayian on Instagram
Onederkam Website
Onederkam on Instagram
Eric Velez on Instagram

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.

In part two of this conversation, Michelle and Jazmin dive into all things social media, especially TikTok. Jazmin shares how she transitioned her TikTok account from personal to business. Jazmin talks about how going viral on social media helped her dig out of a tough time and how she took a risk on TikTok Live. She also shares her experience working with a business consultant, how much of your creative secret sauce to share with others, and more.

What’s Inside:

• How Jazmin transitioned her personal TikTok account to business
• How Jazmin uses TikTok Live
• Jazmin’s experience working with a business consultant

Mentioned In This Episode:
Fridabaeco.com
At Home with Jazmin on Amazon
Frida Bae Co. on Facebook
Frida Bae Co. on Instagram
Frida Bae Co. on Pinterest
Frida Bae Co. on TikTok