Live in Memphis with Charli Gorman and Tim Chaffin from Buff City Soap

06/28/22 • 27 min

Welcome to the RETAIL IN AMERICA podcast, and we made it to 10 episodes! This is a special one because I have 2 of the Brand Presidents and Franchise Owners of Buff City Soap, Charli Gorman and Tim Chaffin. It was recorded in a store location outside of Memphis, Tennessee, in front of a live audience of team members and leaders from various Buff City Soap brand locations.

For anyone unfamiliar with the brand, here are a few details;

They are currently open in 29 states and have 218 locations.
Their purpose: "Make Life Smell Wonderful, One handmade Soap at a Time."
100% of their products are handmade daily by local Makers in their Soap Makery, and customers can experience their beauty and laundry products handmade in front of their eyes
This also means that each store creates its own inventory and only produces what is necessary and favored by that local customer.
No complicated ingredients and confusing language. Just plant-based goodness, that's the Buff City Soap way.

In this episode we learn more about what it means to be a franchise owner of a fast-growing retail business, an essential part of our industry. You don't want to miss it!

There is also a quick video here with all of the highlights of our time together.

But first, a huge thank you to the three title sponsors fueling the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour and this podcast.

Spotify Advertising Spotify is the #1 podcast platform in the US and has grown to over 420M monthly unique registered users around the globe, over half of which are supported on the ad platform. Spotify advertising will help you reach and target your audience across devices, locations, and formats.

YOOBIC Over 300 companies in 80 countries trust YOOBIC to drive their retail performance at scale, get real-time visibility into multi-location business execution, digitized task management, and more.

KWI is the industry's only true turnkey omni-channel platform for specialty retailers.

With over 35 years of experience, let KWI help you execute flawlessly with the features that matter most, including endless aisle, clienteling, mobile checkout, inventory management, e-commerce, and more.

Go to RETAIL PRIDE and follow me on IG @retailpride to see all the details about the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour, the cities we will visit, media links, and more.

Contact me directly here to nominate a retail hero for this podcast, host a retail networking or book signing event in your city, or say hello.

Keep your retail pride strong, and I will see you on the road!

Audio engineer Dean Albak

Cover image shot by Duke Winn

For anyone unfamiliar with the brand, here are a few details;

They are currently open in 29 states and have 218 locations.
Their purpose: "Make Life Smell Wonderful, One handmade Soap at a Time."
100% of their products are handmade daily by local Makers in their Soap Makery, and customers can experience their beauty and laundry products handmade in front of their eyes
This also means that each store creates its own inventory and only produces what is necessary and favored by that local customer.
No complicated ingredients and confusing language. Just plant-based goodness, that's the Buff City Soap way.

In this episode we learn more about what it means to be a franchise owner of a fast-growing retail business, an essential part of our industry. You don't want to miss it!

There is also a quick video here with all of the highlights of our time together.

But first, a huge thank you to the three title sponsors fueling the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour and this podcast.

KWI is the industry's only true turnkey omni-channel platform for specialty retailers.

Go to RETAIL PRIDE and follow me on IG @retailpride to see all the details about the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour, the cities we will visit, media links, and more.

Contact me directly here to nominate a retail hero for this podcast, host a retail networking or book signing event in your city, or say hello.

Keep your retail pride strong, and I will see you on the road!

Audio engineer Dean Albak

Cover image shot by Duke Winn

Previous Episode

Live in Nashville with Priscilla Willis from Burberry

Welcome to episode 9 of the RETAIL IN AMERICA podcast! I would like to introduce you to a phenomenal leader I met in Nashville, Priscilla Willis.

Priscilla is the General Manager of Burberry in The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee. Her incredible retail career has taken her all over the country, from NYC to Miami and back to Tennessee, with brands including Banana Republic, Cole Hahn, Gibson Guitars, Tory Burch, and more.

Priscilla says that although retail has been an accidental career and being a leader is most fulfilling, the engagement with clients has always kept her going year after year! Her personal development has been purposeful and driven based on her curiosity about different roles and the enjoyment of various aspects of leadership.

Our conversation focused on networking and relationship building as a critical part of a successful retail career; you won't want to miss it.

But first, a huge thank you to the three title sponsors fueling the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour and this podcast.

KWI is the industry's only true turnkey omnichannel platform for specialty retailers.

Go to RETAIL PRIDE and follow me on IG @retailpride to see all the details about the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour, the cities we will visit, media links, and more.

Contact me directly here to nominate a retail hero for this podcast, host a retail networking or book signing event in your city, or say hello.

Keep your retail pride strong, and I will see you on the road!

Audio engineer Dean Albak

Cover image shot by Duke Winn

Next Episode

Live in Dallas with Patrick Carrion from MCM Worldwide

Welcome to episode 11, Season 1 of the RETAIL IN AMERICA podcast! This episode was recorded live in our Airstream trailer in Dallas, Texas, and I am honored and excited to introduce you to Patrick Carrion.

Patrick is the perfect guest to share what retail in America means to Texas, as he is originally from Robstown, a small town close to Corpus Christi.

He attended Baylor University in Waco for a bachelor's in marketing and a minor in Fashion Merchandising. Subsequently, he received his Master's in Business Administration from Texas A&M Kingsville and is now a certified life coach.

Patrick has been in retail for over 20 years, including 13 years at Gap Inc with Old Navy, Banana Republic, and GAP, where he went from retail to corporate. (9 years in the field and four years in SF at Corp)

From there, he spent four years at Louis Vuitton as a Training Manager for the Central Region of the US. After four years with MCM Worldwide, where he started as a Training Manager for the Americas, he is now the brand's Global Director of Learning and Development.

Patrick is also the first guest to share his insight on the metaverse and Web 3.0 - you don't want to miss it!

But first, a huge thank you to the three title sponsors fueling the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour and this podcast.

Spotify Advertising Spotify is the #1 podcast platform in the US and has grown to over 420M monthly unique registered users around the globe, over half of which are supported on the ad platform. Spotify advertising will help you reach and target your audience across devices, locations, and formats.

YOOBIC Over 300 companies in 80 countries trust YOOBIC to drive their retail performance at scale, get real-time visibility into multi-location business execution, digitized task management, and more.

KWI is the industry's only true turnkey omni-channel platform for specialty retailers.

Go to RETAIL PRIDE and follow me on IG @retailpride to see all the details about the RETAIL IN AMERICA tour, the cities we will visit, media links, and more.

Contact me directly here to nominate a retail hero for this podcast, host a retail networking or book signing event in your city, or say hello.

Keep your retail pride strong, and I will see you on the road!

Audio engineer Dean Albak

Cover image shot by Duke Winn