Caroline Rodrigues Of Merci Milo On Juggling Parenthood & A Small Biz
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Nicki Sebastian
Having parents who own one of the most magical toy shops in all of the U.S. must be a dream come true for a child, right? Yes and no, says Caroline Rodriques of the Los Angeles-based wonderland of a shop Merci Milo. No matter how enticing the toys are, running an indie boutique is still never-ending work, which sometimes means parenting takes the back burner. Below, our candid conversation with Caroline about everything from battling mom guilt to raising her daughter Milo, 4, in a much freer way than she herself was raised. Plus: While you read her honest answers, you’ll also enjoy a tour through Caroline’s cozy family home and her nearby shop. Enjoy!
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- "We currently live in a small part of Glendale called Glenoaks, Kenneth Cillage. We moved from Glassel Park/Mount Washington a couple months ago, as we had to move due to school districts. Our home is small but we love it and we love that we have a large backyard where our dog and Milo can play. It has only been a couple months in this home and we plan to stay for the long term. Our neighborhood is quiet, quaint, and all the homes here have so much character."
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Art print by Rachel Kaye. Bed by CB2, pillows by Milena Silvano, Block Shop Textiles, Hawkins NYC, and Jesse.
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Caroline wears a vintage 1930s jumpsuit from Shop Boswell and Gjenmi jewelry. Milo wears a Tambere dress from Merci Milo.
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- "It's very midcentury inspired, lots of vintage furniture from the '60s and '70s. I'm a collector of furniture and I've been collecting for years. I can never pass up on a good piece of furniture, I might as well open up my own shop! I also collect Noguchi light sculptures, I currently own about four lamps, it's an obsession. Our aesthetic is very us, I believe that your home is a reflection of you and who you are. We try to keep it as cozy and inviting as possible since we are here most of the time and love to host gatherings."
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- "Buy pieces that you truly love and can't live without. I never buy things for my home that are trendy, I try to keep it classic and know that if it's coming home with me that it will last ten years or more."
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- "Easy, effortless, and quirky. Lately I've been into color more than ever."
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- "Definitely! I am more lax about what I wear now. I have to be comfortable all the time to be able to chase a toddler around."
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"I keep it simple with my beauty routine. I wash my face with Aesop Fabulous Facial Cleanser and I do a scrub twice a week with Aesop Purifying Facial Exfoliant. I like to use La Mer's Treatment Lotion as a toner and Tata Harper's Resurfacing Serum before applying my Aesop Mandarin Hydrating Moisturizer. I top it off with La Mer's Eye Concentrate since I tend to have puffy eyes. I'm pretty loyal to my three brands I use and try to use La Mer sparingly since it's so costly! I've been using only all natural clean makeup by RMS beauty and ILIA. I love ILIA for its Arabian Knights lipstick and RMS for its concealer. My three favorite scents right now are Willows by Regime des Fleurs, No. 4 by Maison Louis Marie, and Winter by Dasein. Another beauty treat is a Korean face mask once a week! I've been really into Dr. Jart's Rubber Masks."
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"My Martiniano shoes I have worn since the very beginning, they are super comfortable and go with every outfit. I have so many of the same pair in different colors. My Entire World basic t-shirts, I live in them. And my Caron Callahan jumpsuits that I never take off."
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- "Milo's bedroom is very Merci Milo. Basically almost everything comes from the shop, she often gets the damaged samples or returns. I wanted the room to be playful, fun, and not so serious since the rest of the house is that way. When you walk into her room you can tell that it has such a different vibe from the rest of the house, it's like you stepped into Merci Milo #3."
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- "Milo is now 4 turning 5, it feels just like yesterday that she was only 2. Milo has been really into art, she loves drawing and painting in her little art studio corner in the living room. She creates art for me daily and I have a drawer full of just artwork from her. I plan to keep it until she's older and some of them she has taken washi tape and taped them all over the house. She tells me she's putting together a show with her artwork." Milo's bed is the Oeuf Perch Twin Bunk Bed.
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"She's mastering her ABC's right now, so we have been enjoying Alain Gree's Alphabet book. Her favorite book right now that we read almost every night is Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown."
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- "In the beginning I wanted everything from the shop, but of course that wasn't going to happen. I bring home a lot of the items in our shop that are custom made for us, special dolls like Polka Dot Club bears. Often times, I also bring home items I know that we won't be able to get back into the shop again, like special edition pieces."
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Vintage baby doll bed and play kitchen from Merci Milo.
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Ferm Living shelf, Grimms’ stacker, and retro animals, all from Merci Milo.
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- "I keep all of Milo's toys in her room and try and create a playful environment for her. It never really stays in her room, so you will see toys in every room, but I'm okay with it as long as at the end of the day it's back in her room." Fine Little Day art print, doll house, and Crosely record player, all from Merci Milo.
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- "YES. I always knew I wanted a big family with lots of children at such a young age."
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- "To see your little one grow up to be their own individual, develop their own personality, and to share the world with them." Camomile London bedding and pillows.
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- "The current turmoil and political climate lately has been nerve wrecking. How will it affect our children? What will the future hold for them? What can we do to help? What more could we have done or do? I have so many thoughts racing daily. I also worry I am not doing enough as a parent because I am consistently working non-stop and some days we sacrifice the time we have together for the business. Often times, I am left feeling like I am the worst mother for working too much."
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- A look into the cozy living room.
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In the entry way: a vintage rack, antique chair, brooms from Wax Apple and Nalata Nalata NYC, wine bottle holder from Mexico City via Shop Tenzo and a brass mobile made by Caroline.
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Ceramic pieces from artist friends Kat & Roger, Heidi Anderson, Morgan Peck, Shino Takeda, TW Workshop, and Michele Quan, and candles by Aesa and Andrej Urem fill the living room office nook.
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- "Milo is her first name and Luna is her middle name. I was on the subway headed home one day and met a little 5-year-old boy and his mother on the train. His name was Milo and he and I had the best 8-minute conversation that blew my mind. I felt so connected and I told myself that if I have a child I will name him or her Milo after this little boy. I will never forget how much joy this child brought to me and that one day hopefully my child will bring me this much happiness in which Milo did."
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"Raising a girl is so much fun, but I wouldn't mind having it either way. I think just being a parent and raising a child is exciting in itself."
Circular rack from Lawson Fenning. Vintage midcentury armoire from Adaptations NY. Vintage 1960’s framed textile from the Brooklyn Flea Market.
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ECR4Kids table and chair set, and artwork by StilleBen Copenhagen DK.
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- "I had a very tough childhood and have experienced so much trauma. My parents were immigrants who were struggling to make ends meet. They worked day and night and my brother and I barely saw them. If we did see them, they were consistently arguing and sometimes it was painful to watch. All I remember is being alone most days with my younger sibling and having to take care of ourselves. As we got older, our parents became very strict and culturally they had high expectations for us educationally. I remember them giving us a hard time and guilt for not getting straight A's because they worked so hard to give us a good life and we somehow had to repay them back for their hard work. I would never pressure Milo the way my parents pressured me to excel academically. I want her to learn at her own pace."
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- "I try to teach Milo to speak Korean and we plan to enroll her in a dual Korean language immersion program at her elementary school. We also plan to take Milo on her first trip to Korea so she can learn the culture and understand it better."
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- "I am very relaxed when it comes to parenting, I allow her to learn and grow at her own pace. My husband Jason is a bit more conservative and traditional. He expects all of us to sit down at the dinner table and eat dinner together as a family without phones, etc."
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- "As a woman I am terrified, as a mother I am worried, and as a person I am deeply affected."
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A peek into the bathroom, where we spy a Peace Towel by Lena Corwin.
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- "My pregnancy was very difficult, I was bed ridden for two months during the first trimester. I developed hyperemesis gravidarum and couldn't function. I tried everything from essential oils, the sea bands, peppermint, crackers, and acupuncture, but nothing worked. I finally gave up and just stuck it through until my second trimester. As soon as I hit my second trimester, I developed a heart condition and unstable heart beats from the fluctuating hormones. I was seeing a cardiologist weekly and also taking beta blockers to help with the chest pain I was experiencing. Apparently I was experiencing mini heart attacks, which were so severe that it became dangerous to be pregnant. They basically had to induce me early and I had to give birth a couple weeks before my due date. It wasn't the most pleasant experience and now it's a risk I have to take if I want to become pregnant again. I was advised that I shouldn't have any more children due to this condition. It has been a hard realization for my husband and I to accept."
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- "I found that friends who have children are the best resources and the most helpful coming from experience. It's always best to get different perspectives and advice from every parent you know." Caroline wears a top and pants by Robyn King Studio and Martiniano shoes. Milo wears a Tambere dress from Merci Milo.
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- A pretty kitchen vignette featuring canisters from April Napier and Humble Ceramics, Wonder Valley olive oil, and ceramic juicer from Knotwork LA.
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- "Cherish every single moment you have with your child...even if it's not the prettiest moment."
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- "Jason and I definitely want one more child, but the pressure and the workload of running a shop makes it difficult for us to really commit to expanding our family. Running a shop is like raising a child. It takes so much love, effort, work, and care running a business like ours."
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Vintage table and chairs from Adaptations NY. Green screen print by Mogu Takahashi.
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- "I grew up in Los Angeles and then my family moved to Orange County. I always wanted to study fashion and design growing up, but my parents never allowed it. I ended up with a degree in business, focused on accounting. Their dream was for me to be a CPA, doctor, or lawyer. Unfortunately for them, I ended up learning to design and draw on my own and worked in fashion in New York City for years. I ended my career as creative design director for a jewelry company in NYC before moving back to L.A. Now I consult full-time while running Merci Milo with my husband."
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- "My husband Jason and I started our little online shop in 2016 with hopes that one day we would be able to have a brick and mortar shop down the road. We started it with so much love for curating the best toys and now it's become such a passion project. Milo was our biggest creative driving force. I grew up with a family of retailers, so I learned as a child how to run a shop and I always dreamed of owning one, but never imagined it to be a toy shop. My grandfather had a small children's toy and clothing shop in South Los Angeles for twenty years, but passed away from lung cancer. We dedicated this shop to him because he loved what he did and he inspired me to be a shop owner. He used to bring me little toys and gifts from his shop every week, it was such a treat."
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- "Magical, playful, colorful, a treasure trove of the best toys."
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- "Jason and I basically run the shop together. We work together to manage the day-to-day operations. We shoot all the photos, edit, upload, email, choose the products, source the products, merchandise, manage our small team of shop associates, receive and ship product, and so much more. It's become this huge monster of a business, and we can't believe how far we've come. We hardly get any sleep!"
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- "Yes and no. I think the perception is that it's very magical and fun for Milo to grow up in a toy shop, but the truth and reality is that she often has to be working with us and gets really frustrated when she would rather be at the park having fun, but she has to be at the shop waiting for us to be finished with work. She's such a trooper and has been overall very patient with us and this business." Milo wears a Tambere dress from Merci Milo and Filas.
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- "We are 100% self-funded. I started this business with the little savings we had and borrowed to make it happen. We sacrificed the money we saved to buy a home so that we can build a better future and follow our dream. I've had people tell me that I was crazy for doing that and giving up on home ownership for a risky business. I just had a strong intuition that Merci Milo was something that had to come to life. I wanted to share my vision with everyone; Jason was behind me all the way supporting me and my decision."
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"So many to list! I won't bring in anything I am not absolutely in love with. but my favorite toy in the shop is the wooden coffee machine from Germany. The Japanese bath crayons are a gem and the French baby doll with the cutest outfits are just adorable."
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- "We currently have some big plans! We are having a Bob Baker Marionette come and host a puppet show at our shop this summer. We are also having some of our favorite brands pop-up to host sample sales. We also plan to do more arts and crafts workshops with makers and artists here at the shop, as well as children's book illustrators and authors come do signings."
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- "These days, running a shop or boutique is a real struggle, retail is hard. Amazon has made it difficult for small businesses to thrive. People are shopping differently, shops are becoming extinct. I see a lot of businesses closing down and shuttering and it makes me so nervous. Am I doing the right thing? Should I be shutting down my business too? How can I stay competitive without losing the integrity of my shop and brand? I face these challenges daily and there are days where I doubt my ability to move forward. I just have to remind myself to just keep striving to do better and stay unique, that there will be people who will appreciate the authenticity of our shop, and no one else can replicate your vision. I remind myself to just stay true to the brand and to keep serving our community the best that we can."
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- "My biggest goal this year is to learn to balance it all. Being a mom, running a business, and working a job, while trying to be a wife."
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- "A strong support system of friends and family, a solid team to help build the business, and meditation."
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- "YES, mom guilt is so real and I experience this on the daily. My biggest guilt is that I work way too much and never spend enough time with Milo. I know consciously at times I am neglecting her because I am literally trying to meet deadlines and finish projects. It's really frustrating and it's a constant battle on how I can balance the work-mom life. I beat myself up so much and it breaks my heart every time she asks to pay attention to her while I'm on a phone meeting for work or helping a customer. The work load always seems to be never ending and at times I feel like giving up because I know she needs me now."
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- "As a family, we love to travel and live to travel. We travel to our favorite cities, explore new cities, and get inspired by the different cultures. We book trips twice a year and really soak it all in. We go check out different museums, art galleries, and also make time to visit friends' art shows or events. It's really nice to have friends who are just as creative or more. So, I'm grateful to have friends who inspire me daily and can bounce back ideas."
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Caroline wears a top and jeans by Rachel Comey. Milo wears a Tambere dress from Merci Milo.
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- "Milo was born in New York City and raised in Brooklyn the first year of her life. Moving to L.A. has been such a significant shift, but in a good way. The weather is amazing, the driving is convenient, and the Asian food here doesn't compare to NYC. Also, the fact that my family is here in L.A. and my husband's is up north. I also love that both NYC and L.A. are so rich in culture and diversity, which is what I want Milo to be exposed to."
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- "I have been dreaming of moving to Paris for years and I would love to live in Copenhagen, Denmark for a year."
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“We always stay around northeast L.A. and never really make the trek over to the west side of town. When we do make it over to the other side of town, we love Gjusta in Venice. Our favorite local spots here are places near our shop in Highland Park. We love to grab groceries at Cookbook, tacos from HomeState, coffee from Civil Coffee and Kindness & Mischief. Dinner at Hippo or Joy and grab wine for our friends at Highland Park Winery—we don't drink. Town Pizza is a great place for families and right next door is Scoops ice cream. We stop in and say hello to our friends at Shop Nonna—Olivia has the best curation of clothing and brands—and Shop Sonomama for beautiful gifts. Pasadena is also nearby and we love to hang out at the Huntington Library and Gardens.”
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For more on Caroline and Merci Milo, be sure to follow her on Instagram and check out her online shop.
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My favorite place to shop period! Love to see such a great business and business owner featured here!