The Retail Whisperer

In this episode, Michelle and Susan Esayian are sharing inspiration from their recent travels, from Michelle's retail adventures in Seattle to Susan's shopping experiences in London and Paris. They explore what makes a store unforgettable, the importance of thoughtful merchandising, and how small details can create an incredible customer experience.

From beautifully curated displays and creative store layouts to finding fresh ideas outside your everyday routine, they're reminding retailers why stepping away and getting inspired is so important.

What's Inside:

In this episode, Michelle opens up about the emotional journey behind rebranding The Retail Whore Podcast to The Retail Whisperer. She takes us back to her days owning three stores at Fred Segal, the devastating experience of losing everything, and the lessons that shaped her career in retail.

From overcoming failure and letting go of past shame to finally embracing her experience and accomplishments, Michelle shares why this new chapter is about more than just changing a podcast name. It's about growth, confidence, and owning who she's become.

What's Inside:

Matt Triest is an entrepreneur, retailer, and small business owner with more than 15 years of experience in retail and e-commerce. He is the owner of Be Charmed, an independent gift shop in Medfield, Massachusetts, where he has spent almost a decade creating a unique shopping experience.

Throughout his entrepreneurial career, Matt has owned and operated businesses across several industries, including a toy store, a pet store, and an online and wholesale clothing and jewelry business. He also successfully later sold his toy store. Matt is passionate about small business, retail, merchandising, customer experience, e-commerce, and finding new...

For more than 22 years, Barbara Mooney has been building Daisy’s Mercantile in Alameda, California, into a retail experience rooted in creativity, storytelling, and discovery. Now, her daughter Jillian is bringing her own perspective to the family business after growing up in the store, attending trade shows from a young age, and eventually stepping into a full-time role alongside her mom.

Together, Barbara and Jillian approach Daisy’s almost like a magazine, transforming the store through immersive seasonal themes while keeping its familiar personality intact. From thoughtfully planned buying and merchandising to elaborate handmade displays, classes, community even...

Owner/Interior Designer Christina Van Blake is a prominent designer serving the Maine and NH Seacoast area for over 22 years. Christina truly enjoys her work, her clients and design of all kinds. Her enthusiasm for the art of this business ensures each client fully understands the options and choices, why they work, and how they reflect their personal taste with the end result being a carefully curated space that feels uniquely personal and beautifully functional. Christina graduated with a BFA in Design from Savannah College of Art & Design and currently holds 3 separate degrees in Advertising, Graphic & Interior Design.

In this episode, Michelle and Susan are back for another Shelf Talk, catching up after a busy show season and diving into Susan’s experience setting up at New York Now and exploring Shoppe Object. They talk about what worked, what they’d do differently, clever booth and merchandising ideas, and the trends catching their attention right now, from bold saturated color and Western influences to creative displays and artist-driven products.  

They also share the Instagram accounts and stores they can’t stop looking at right now and, more importantly, why they’re obsessed...

In this episode, I’m joined by visual merchandiser Allison Levy to talk about her career in retail, specialty outdoor apparel, fixture design, and visual merchandising. Allison shares how she finds inspiration in unexpected places, including dumpster-dived treasures, and how her love of gardening connects to the way she approaches merchandising and design. We also talk about her experience training sales reps and store employees and what she’s learned about creating spaces that feel interesting, intentional, and alive.

What’s Inside

In this episode, I’m back with Part 2 of my August solo, diving deeper into the merchandising decisions that can completely change how your store looks and sells. I’m talking about choosing and placing fixtures, using vintage and secondhand pieces without making your store feel cluttered, and why every prop in your display should have a purpose.  

I also get into one of my favorite parts of merchandising: storytelling. I share how I think about the person behind a display, the environment she lives in, and even sight, sound, and scent when creating a conce...

In this episode, I’m back home after a long show season and sitting down for another solo Q&A, answering real questions submitted by retailers. I’m digging into everything from mixing high- and moderate-priced apparel and deciding when Christmas should hit the sales floor to handling those last one or two products that just won’t sell.  

I also share my approach to must-have product categories, creating displays that tell a story and encourage add-on sales, fall merchandising, and building better product flow throughout your store. It’s a practical look at the merchandising decisions I make ev...

Sara Stein is a seasoned brand builder and product developer with a career spanning Hollywood, fashion, and consumer products.

Starting at Writers & Artists Agency and Simpson-Bruckheimer Films, she transitioned to fashion PR, founding S Public Relations in 2001. Best known for launching Los Angeles Fashion Week, she represented over 60 brands, including Universal Consumer Products, Superga, and Erica Courtney Jewelry. She produced live events featuring The Beach Boys and Runway Shows.

In 2012, Sara launched Sisters of Los Angeles, a vibrant gift brand sold in upscale outlets across the U.S., Canada, and Japan, including Nordstrom, The Fontainebleau...

In this episode, Michelle sits down with wardrobe stylist and small business advocate Leslie Firkins to talk about the connection between personal style, confidence, and the retail experience. Leslie shares how her early work in photography led her into wardrobe styling, how she helps people feel more comfortable taking fashion risks, and what she is seeing in apparel and accessories right now. They also dive into how independent retailers can introduce apparel into their stores, create meaningful events, and use fashion to build stronger connections with their communities.  

What's Inside:

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 become today, and she never looked back. Michelle & Barbara delve into Barbara’s jump from retail to cateri...

In this solo episode, I answer questions from Misty Stachel of 85 Local about how I prepare for wholesale markets, build seasonal concepts, and make buying decisions that support my stores. I share the process I use before, during, and after market to stay organized and buy with intention. 

In this episode, I walk through how I build concepts, use sales reports to guide my buying, avoid common purchasing mistakes, and plan each market trip to get the best results for my stores. 

What's Inside:

Michelle Sherrier is joined by co-host Susan Esayian and special guest Kate Kauffman, owner of Grease & Glitter Studio, for Part 2 of this special Shelf Talk Holiday Edition. Together, they continue the conversation with even more practical ideas for holiday merchandising, creative inspiration, and cost-effective displays that independent retailers can put into action before the busy season begins. 

In this episode, Michelle, Susan, and Kate dive deeper into where great merchandising ideas come from, how to develop a holiday concept without overspending, and simple ways to create memorable displays on any budget. They also s...

In this episode, Michelle, Susan, and Kate dive into holiday merchandising from every angle, from planning months in advance to creating displays that feel intentional instead of overwhelming. They share ideas for layering holiday throughout the season, building memorable customer experiences, using simple props on any budget, and why storytelling through merchandising matters more than ever for independent retailers. This is part one of their Holiday Edition conversation, with even more ideas coming next week. 

What's Inside:

Emily Brooker is the creative director and owner of Esme and Elodie, a women's and plus size boutique in Renton, Washington. Esme and Elodie is known for being size inclusive, sex positive and humor filled. Emily guides her vision of social entrepreneurship and the modern woman into a community focused retail space.

In this episode, Emily shares how she built a thriving boutique by doing things differently. From creating an inclusive shopping experience and staying unapologetically authentic online to balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood, she opens up about the realities of running a modern retail business...

This week’s guest is Trudi Bartow, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Unemployed Philosophers Guild. Trudi joined the gift world via the preeminent art book publisher Harry N. Abrams and created unique opportunities for sales at gift retailers like Neiman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, Barneys and Sur La Table, including custom designer editions and exclusive bundles.

After 15 years working with various publishers, she joined the fantastic team at the Unemployed Philosophers Guild as their Director of Sales and Marketing. Bringing her enthusiasm for the industry to this smart and funny gift creator she is helping the brand gr...

Fresh off multiple Dallas Market setups and heading into Las Vegas Market, Michelle shares what's working, what's changing, and how she's rethinking her buying strategy for the season ahead.

In this episode, Michelle reflects on her recent projects, including the Levant showroom and a unique merchandising project for The Brit outdoor venue. She also shares why she's dialing back assortments, embracing branded merchandise opportunities, and taking a more intentional approach to buying at market. From avoiding over-assortment to creating scarcity and keeping inventory fresh, this episode is packed with practical insights for retailers preparing for their next...

In this episode, Michelle shares a completely different style of Retail Whore Podcast episode recorded live from the Seattle Mart, where seasoned retailers shared their best advice for new store owners. From learning your numbers and building smarter markdown strategies to creating stronger customer experiences and merchandising with intention, this episode is packed with honest conversations and real retail wisdom.

Michelle and Susan also continue the conversation from the road as they dive deeper into store layout, storytelling through merchandising, fixtures that actually support your brand, and why trying to be everything to everyone can hurt your...

Kate Kauffman is the owner of Grease & Glitter Studio, a Vermont-based creative design studio serving retailers throughout New England and beyond. She specializes in visual merchandising, store flow and layout optimization, and striking window displays. Drawing on more than 10 years of industry experience with brands like Anthropologie and West Elm, Kate helps independent retailers elevate their customer experience, increase foot traffic, and drive sales.

In this episode, Kate shares how her years at Anthropologie and West Elm shaped her approach to merchandising, storytelling, and customer flow. Michelle and Kate dive into the psychology behind store...

For all of us who are merchandisers, Amy Meadows has the dream career. She has over 25 years of experience in window display, visual merchandising, and event planning.

Recognized nationally in her field, Amy has reinvented traditions and reinvigorated business for both major retailers and independent businesses. From big boxes to boutiques, she helps businesses explore and leverage tools to attract customers and drive sales. Amy helps her clients align their storefronts, signage and displays to work together to build their brand and increase revenue.

As a designer, Amy uses her background in theatrical set design...

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, retail spaces, collaborations/licensed products. They even let him voice Julius the Monkey on the pilot show of Yo-Gabba-Gabba.

In this episode, Michelle shares how thoughtful retail architecture can completely transform a store by maximizing space, improving flow, and creating displays that feel abundant without becoming cluttered. She dives into practical merchandising techniques, creative tabletop styling, and the importance of layering products to create visually engaging and shoppable spaces. 

We are doing our first-ever open call! You can submit your store or favorite store to be on the podcast because every store has a story behind it! Go to theretailwhorepodcast.com, click on SUBMIT YOUR STORE, fill out an easy form and we’ll see...

In this episode, Michelle and Susan dive into the creative chaos behind preparing showroom displays for upcoming gift shows, including their process for brainstorming concepts, sourcing inspiration, and creating memorable retail experiences. They also explore the growing importance of in-store events, community-driven shopping experiences, and how retailers can use social media to stay connected and relevant in today’s retail landscape.

What’s Inside:

Support the show

Jon Dario is an author, speaker, and retail management expert. His latest book, titled AIM: How Managers Get Radically Reliable Results, is a how-to guide that helps retail organizations instill a culture of action item management and drive consistent execution, even in the dynamic world of retail. The principles behind AIM were built over the course of Jon's career with some of the top retailers in the world, including Macy's, Gap, Bank of America, and Travelex. Jon is currently the CEO of a NYC metro real estate company that manages different retail businesses, he is the professor of retail...

Jacque Leonard is the founder and CEO of Roux Collective, a boutique salon, spa, and retail destination in Paso Robles, California. With more than 30 years of experience in the beauty industry spanning sales, marketing, retail, and behind-the-chair culture, she has built a business rooted in both connection and curation. Jacque believes retail is deeply personal — it is not just about what people buy, but how they feel when they walk through the door. Through Roux Collective, she brings together beauty, wellness, fashion, and heartfelt hospitality to create an experience that genuinely impacts people’s lives.

In this...