The Retail Whore

In 2005, Johanna Bialkin moved to San Francisco, seeking solace from the bustle of New York City and her sojourn in digital media. While the allure of SF's tech industry didn't captivate her, the promise of a tight-knit community did. She longed for connections forged in genuine conversations, for friendships nurtured over shared experiences.

It was in this pursuit that Aldea was born — a sanctuary amidst the city's clamor, where stylish home essentials met the warmth of human connection. Inspired by the cozy elegance of "The Apartment" in NYC, Johanna envisioned a space where shopping felt like strolling through a cherished village, where every purchase added a touch of life to one's living space.

The name "Aldea'' ("village" in Spanish) came to Johanna in a dream during my honeymoon in Spain. It spoke of community, of shared bonds, and of a place where strangers become neighbors. With this vision in mind, she set out to bring Aldea to life. Over the years, Aldea evolved into more than just a store — it became a hub of connection, a place of lively parties and with intimate gatherings. Through

recessions, pandemics, and personal tragedies, it's stood as a beacon of resilience, offering solace and inspiration to people who wanted to brighten their homes.

Behind the scenes, Johanna’s journey was one of constant learning and growth. From navigating the intricacies of retail to weathering the storms of entrepreneurship, she embraced the challenges with open arms, knowing that each obstacle was a steppingstone towards Aldea's success. Now, as Johanna and her team stand on the cusp of expansion, they're looking for like-minded people to help their village grow.

Here, Johanna shares the incredible story of how Aldea was brought to life. She shares all the details of the design and fixturing of her store as well as her ongoing plans for growth and expansion. Johanna and Michelle also discuss how she changes windows and displays, how Johanna created her own franchise, her favorite vendors, and how she weathered the pandemic.
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

What’s Inside:

• How Johanna started Aldea and created her own franchise
• Johanna’s plans for growth and expansion
• Johanna’s favorite vendors

Mentioned In This Episode:
Aldea on Facebook
Aldea on Instagram
Johanna Bialkin on LinkedIn
Aldeahome.com

Can you go from crafting at your kitchen table to a multi-million-dollar business? As CEO, Holly Daniels Christensen has proved – yes! Using grit and the actual sand beneath her toes, that’s exactly what this entrepreneur has done.

The founder of Dune Jewelry left home at 15 years old, and never looked back. She held a variety of jobs with stints as a zookeeper, pharmacy technician, promotional model, bartender, cellphone, car and cruise salesperson. She also spent 14 successful years as a top agent in Boston’s highly competitive real estate market.

This unique bootstrap entrepreneur who proved she was unafraid of hard work was voted 2016 Woman-Owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England by the Small Business Association (SBA). In 2018, Inc. magazine honored Dune Jewelry as No. 2590 on its 37th annual Inc. 5000 List which is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Currently, Dune Jewelry is the one-and-only experiential jewelry brand in the world.

Take a listen as Michelle & Holly talk about Holly’s multiple hustles that include running her retail boutiques, giving back to the community and writing a book. She is truly an inspiration and proof that continued hard work and perseverance is a direct path to success.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Sales Producers, 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 their Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website www.salesproducersinc.com/

Website
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

SCORE
Order her book

This week is a solocast with Michelle informing listeners on what exactly a merchandiser does & how they can help your retail business. From storytelling to creating add-on sales to reinventing merchandise, these are some topics that Michelle will cover in this episode.

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 gift, fashion + home lines.

Jocelyn Songco is the founder and owner of Yarn Farm Kingston, a yarn shop and wine bar in New York's Hudson Valley, two hours north of NYC. Prior to Yarn Farm, Jocelyn worked at a private foundation for over a dozen years, investing in social entrepreneurs in emerging markets, primarily in Africa in the agriculture sector, as well as a handful of years in for-profit finance in NYC. She went to grad school and business school in NY (Columbia) and college in LA (UCLA), grew up in NJ, and is a first-generation Filipino-American.
Jocelyn's been passionate about fiber arts, knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and sewing, for most of her adult life. Working with entrepreneurs in her prior career inspired her new foray into the retail and hospitality sector in this hybrid business. The wine bar is superbly managed by Jocelyn's boyfriend
Todd. Together they create and offer a welcoming shop and gathering space that appeals to new and experienced fiber artists and curious creatives from the local community and weekenders. Jocelyn and Todd live close to Yarn Farm (4 min drive; 8 min kayak ride) with their two pugs Zorro and Omni.
Here, Jocelyn shares the story of how the Yarn Farm business and brand were created and what led her and her partner to start things up. She dives into the details of the fixturing in her space, how she approached the design, and how she sources products. Jocelyn also shares how she set up the wine bar portion of her business, her budgeting process, and how she came up with the name Yarn Farm.
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.
What’s Inside:

• How Jocelyn created the Yarn Farm business and brand
• Jocelyn’s approach to store design and fixturing
• How Jocelyn set up the wine bar portion of the business

Mentioned In This Episode:
Yarn Farm Kingston
Yarn Farm Kingston on Instagram
Yarn Farm Kingston on LinkedIn
Jocelyn Songco on LinkedIn

Annie Glenn (also known as Urban Girl Annie) started her company LG Retail Enterprises back in 1994 and has been doing retail ever since. Although Annie majored in literature in college, she knew she wanted to own a business since she was 10 years old.

With no prior background in retail, she credits her business success to having great instincts and a lack of fear. Today, she’s a proud entrepreneur and a mom to two amazing boys, Jack and Cooper. Her hope is that her stores, including Urban Girl Accessories, bring joy and happiness to whoever walks through the doors.

Jamie Carl is the owner and founder of Serge + Jane in Minneapolis, MN. S+J is a lifestyle boutique featuring men's, women's, kids, pets, vinyl, home + gifts in a 3-story shop (4 including the open-air rooftop where they host fashion shows, trunk shows, pop-ups + always a DJ + dance party)! Jamie spent the first 15 years of her career in retail at Target Corporation.

Jamie spent the last 9 years there working on and leading the Internal Events Team. She was responsible for Board Meetings all the way up to 10,000-person National Team Meetings with guest speakers, musicians, fashion shows and more! Jamie left the role at Target when she couldn't balance two big jobs within retail in one family and took the opportunity to stay home with her two young boys for several years, all while fine-tuning her vision for the shop and "visually re-merchandising" her house for each holiday!

Michael Schultz is the co-owner and creative eye of Cursive New York, which operates 2 stores in New York City. Cursive is a tightly focused concept with the simple mission of cultivating joy. Michael, along with his husband, Douglas Duncan, have established Cursive as a strong and forward voice in the industry. Cursive offers gift, stationery, home and lifestyle products and is constantly evolving.

Cursive operated in New York City’s iconic Grand Central Terminal for 11 years and within ABC Carpet & Home for 15 years, until the Covid-19 pandemic upended those long runs. Making lemonade out of lemons, Schultz and Duncan doubled down on New York and opened 2 shops in New York’s West Village neighborhood, 4 blocks apart. One shop is true to the original Cursive vision, while Cursive Home is the brand’s extension into home goods.

In this second Retailer Roundtable, we chat about what our three guests have been up to over the last couple of years. Annie, Jamie, and Michael all share the stories of how they started up their stores and how they approach shows. We discuss some of the highlights from the recent Las Vegas show, plans for the upcoming holiday season, and the craziest current in-store trends. We also talk about how everyone approaches sales and handles social media.
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.

What’s Inside:

• How Annie, Jamie, and Michael started their stores
• Plans for the upcoming holiday season
• How to handle social media

Mentioned In This Episode:

Annie Glenn
Urbangirlaccessories.com
Urban Girl Accessories on Instagram

Jamie Carl
Sergeandjane.com
Serge and Jane on Instagram
Michael Schultz
Cursivenewyork.com
Cursive New York on Instagram