Resilient Retail

Founded in 1988, Rosalind’s Ethiopian Restaurant is practically a landmark. In fact, it helped inspire the formal creation of LA’s Little Ethiopia. Pre-pandemic, Rosalind’s had served as a communal hub thanks to Meklit’s personable and well-connected father. But COVID put them into a tailspin, with a daunting menu and food that didn’t easily lend itself to takeout. Meklit decided to experiment with the menu, working with her father to update both the copy on the menu and the dishes themselves. Soon, customers were lining up asking for the new specials, and John Legend and Chrissy Teigen even gave the restaurant a resounding seal of approval.

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Leah Eyles of Scout shares her ideas behind creating Scout, the launch of a second location, how she transitioned to online shopping due to COVID, all the hardships of having a small business in the midst of a global pandemic, and she finds strength in all the challenges.

When Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon founded The Village Market ATL in 2016, she was a former educator who felt inspired to help local Black entrepreneurs make their mark on the world. What started as a support system to facilitate businesses in her home base of Atlanta to connect with customers soon turned into something bigger. Today, the organization has helped funnel over $5.3 million dollars to Black-owned businesses across the nation and beyond. During the pandemic, the organization even opened its first retail location in the form a special co-op called The Village Retail. Dr. Key’s philosophy is simple: when you buy local and through sources like The Village, everybody wins.

Every Friday, join Kristen and a co-host to cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. Kat Cole is back this week to talk about all things food, from the evolution of food brands, food retailers missions, the healthiest leading brands, and all their favorites!

In a country where online purchases are a source of distrust and skepticism, Macarena Riva and Andrea Sanchez are turning the tide. The two best friends started Raw Apothecary, a natural beauty brand that speaks to women of all ages. The women’s journey started by tapping into the thriving bazaar marketplace culture in their native Mexico. After forming an in-person relationship with customers, they took the brand online with the conviction that Latin America’s online ecosystem would soon catch up to the rest of the world.

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Ashley Wittig of Honey’s Ice Cream and Tyger Tyger, shares her experience creating delicious, plant-based ice cream for Honey’s Ice Cream and her passion project, Tyger Tyger promoting great, plant-based, holistic options for everyone.

Founded in the 1940’s, Igloo was the world’s first recreational ice chest. Seeing one today may give us a warm nostalgic glow - but the brand is all about keeping things cool. Brian Garofalow is the Chief Marketing Officer at Igloo. An experienced ecommerce marketer, Brian’s focus with Igloo is less about building brand awareness (about 90% of households already know the Igloo name) and more about dialing in how Igloo’s many sales channels can play nicely together. Listen in to hear how Igloo is pursuing a new DTC approach, and how innovative designs and partnerships are keeping things fresh.

Every Friday, join Kristen and a co-host to cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. This week, Kristen takes a few minutes to reflect on the last year of the world's most important news, and Halie LeSavage is back to talk Amazon’s first hair salon opening in the UK, the passion behind retail workers and the future, and the new expansion of comfort and inclusivity in women's intimates.

What do you get when a rock and roll backpacker and pilot-slash-poker-player start a jewelry business? The results are out-of-this-world unique. Shane Vitaly Foran is the founder and CEO of Compound Studio, a company that has dreamed up three incredible brands. With their focus on jewelry and accessories that cater to specific consumer archetypes, Shane and team have successfully spun up brands in different universes. Bootstrapped from day one, the company took their flagship line Vitaly through a journey of apparel pop ups and wholesale before settling on a more scoped jewelry collection that you won’t find anywhere else.

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Bryce Taylor-Vaisey, from Penny Candy Jam and AM Bagel, talks about the creation of his businesses, his experiences with selling at flea markets, and how he stays focused on the business dream.