If there’s a theme in the past decade of retail, it’s been the shift online. For most of us, that begs a tough question: how do we stay personal and human-focused when our interactions with customers are mediated through technology? For Loeffler Randall, a family owned and operated fashion brand sold in over 300 retailers worldwide, maintaining genuine relationships means understanding yourself first. Founder and Chief Creative Officer Jessie Randall has built an amazing brand by staying...

This week on Resilient news, Kristen is on her own! We'll walk through the impacts of new vaccination rollout, the back to school rush, Chipotle's push to hire 20,000 new workers, and a bold move by New Belgium Brewery.

eevee’s is a PEV (personal electric vehicle) company rethinking the ways that we move, selling everything from electric unicycles to onewheels and eSkateboards. Co-founders Bradley Spence & Lukas Tanasiuk are building a brand that straddles the online and retail spaces and they’ve used their focus on community and education to survive and even thrive after launching during a pandemic. This episode digs into the ways they’ve harnessed free in-store lessons to build trust and community, as...

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Pam and Frank from North Standard Trading Post share their journey from being retailers to becoming wholesalers, how a reselling business turned to a full on brand and how they're rethinking their business for the future.

Retail is supposed to consist of humans helping one another to find products that improve our lives. During the pandemic, that was challenged. One of the companies helping to bridge the gap was HERO, which strives to bring together the best of the retail world and the digital world. HERO has helped companies like Nike and Liberty London to keep retail associates employed by breaking down traditional retail silos. Founder and repeat Resilient Retail guest Adam Levene describes how HERO brings...

Every Friday, join Kristen and a co-host to cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. This week, Halie LeSavage, writer of Retail Brew is back to chat about Zara's beauty launch and their sustainability, brands allowing consumers to opt out of holiday emails, and consumer behaviors going into the summer.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Allbirds was one of DTC’s first pioneers when they built their successful sustainable sneaker brand. Driven by an ethos of transparent sustainability, every pair of Allbirds shoes is made with earth-friendly materials like merino wool and eucalyptus fiber. Travis Boyce is Vice President of Marketing at Allbirds and handles all things brick and mortar for the brand. He explained why Allbirds decided to pursue a global retail strategy - and why they view their current efforts as simply another...

On todays BONUS episode, Kristen takes us on a tour across the UK and Ireland retail. You'll hear from four retailers and experts based in the UK and Ireland as they tell us the stories of their last 12 months and their plans for reopening.

Every Friday, join us as we cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. This week, Kristen and Kat Cole talk about all things cannabis industry, dispensaries and their retail methods, their favorite brands, and Kat shares her theory of how CBD will blow up in the years to come!

Sustainability starts with good habits, and good habits can start with great role models. This episode of Resilient Retail focuses on Azora Zoe Paknad, founder of ecommerce retail brand Goldune. Goldune is all about injecting excitement into the realm of sustainable and zero waste shopping. For Azora, this meant elevating sustainability out of the realm of hippie handbags or wealthy housewives and transforming it into something both approachable and chic. By curating a carefully vetted...

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Richard Nair of Nishe shares his story of launching Nishe, the loyalty and emotional aspect of connecting to stores, and how creating monthly idea sounding boards helps further the business.

When Jack Meredith became the first employee at Kettle & Fire, the company had zero revenue and next to no retail know-how. Today, their healthy bone broth products are sold online, in stores like Whole Foods, via subscription, and more. Kettle & Fire’s technique lies in proactively listening to customers and taking a uniquely hands-on approach to growth. In this episode of Resilient Retail, Jack described how Kettle & Fire took on the wholesale market by mailing letters to local...

Every Friday, join Kristen and a co-host to cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. This week, Halie LeSavage, writer of Retail Brew is here to chat about Dick’s Sporting Goods’ new experiential flagship concept, a major acquisition in the jewelry world, results from a new teen spending survey, and lastly our hosts wonder whether the pandemic has made brunch culture a thing of the past.

When Althea Johnson opened Korean beauty shop Propr Life + Style a mere week before the pandemic, she was soon surrounded by shuttered stores on all sides. But the creative and resourceful retailer refused to be one of them. Instead, she anchored herself in growing her business through an innovative combination of home delivery, social media, and email marketing. By listening to her customers’ changing needs and remaining available through thick and thin, Althea earned the loyalty of a...

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. In this episode, Brenda Ngina Kahura of Parkdale Pet Foods shares her experience starting a business in the midst of COVID, navigating health regulations, the booming pet industry, oh yeah, and all the regular growing pains and celebrations of starting a small business.