Michelle LeBlanc, Owner Of Shop Mille

Mother Stories

Meet The Owner & Mama Behind Mille, Michelle LeBlanc

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Photography by Photographed by Ashley Sullivan

Aug 25, 2015

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the exceptionally well edited women’s and home goods store Mille. The woman behind the much loved shop is none other than Michelle LeBlanc, a down-to-earth, Minneapolis mother of two with exquisite taste and impeccable style. Get ready for a heavy dose of inspiration below, as we take you along for a peek inside of the entrepreneur’s charming home and dreamy brick-and-mortar.

: "I would say organic, soft, modern, and slightly bohemian."

Michelle wears a Milena Silvano suede kimono, Mother jeans, and Rachel Comey sandals. Louisa wears a J.Crew top and skirt, and Lila wears a Peek dress.

: "Humorously, our house is much nicer and well-designed since we had kids, but that has more to do with becoming great friends with an interior designer, Nadia Haddad, and less about living with children. We’ve always been pretty casual, so that helps!"

: Such a beautiful dining area.

: "I love my daughters’ room. It’s so pretty, has great light, and just feels really cozy."

: "I love having things around our house that were made by people I know—artwork by Siri Knutson, ceramics by Ginny Sims and Laura Vest Klein, and furniture by Marvin Freitas. There are so many talented artists here!"

: Fresh fruit!

: "I was so much lazier before I had kids. I could spend whole days off laying around watching bad TV and reading magazines. I don’t think I ever kept 'to do' lists. The mental organization of running a house, keeping track of permission slips, doctor appointments, scheduling activities and playdates is definitely not something that comes naturally to me, but I think becoming a mother has given me more focus, energy, and confidence. I love being a woman, even more! I think having babies makes you realize how crazy-amazing we are. To be able to grow, nurture, and feed these tiny humans with our bodies is pretty kick-ass."

: We are loving all of the greenery.

: "That depth of feeling—that overwhelming, unconditional, mind-bending, heart-expanding love wasn’t something I could comprehend before having kids."

: "Embrace the crazy for a few years, say no to everything that isn’t essential, don’t make plans, and it’s okay to flake-out a bit."

: "Bedhead, baby buns, and belly laughs. Seeing them grow into their own distinct personalities. The looks on their faces when they are proud of themselves."

: Sisterly love.

Lila wears Peek overalls and top. Louisa wears a Wilco t-shirt and Peek skirt.

: "Summer Sundays are my favorite. We sleep in a bit, hit our local farmer’s market for a late breakfast, bike over to Lake Harriet, wander around the Peace & Rose gardens, ride the trolley, have an early dinner at Tilia, and then get the kids to sleep, so that Chris and I can watch whatever TV show we are binging on at the moment."

: "My oldest is a night owl, so after Louisa goes to bed, we cuddle and read until lights-out. Then we whisper and giggle until she falls asleep. I love having that alone time with her since she is at school all day. That’s when she opens up and really tells me how her day was. Mornings, after Lila leaves, are for Lulu. We curl up on the couch and read books, lay around, make a breakfast together—clearly, I am all about the snuggle time."

Michelle wears a Mother t-shirt and Jesse Kamm pants.

: Shelfie.

: "Lila is really whipsmart, cool, and creative. I love that she geeks out on random subjects. Right now she’s really into Greek mythology and geocaching. Louisa is fierce and delicate, at the same time. She’s a total goofball and can light up a room with her laugh."

: "Right now, I’m addicted to this magic trio of Glossier Soothing Face Mist, Kypris Antioxidant Dew, and Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum. I use these morning and night. Anything by RMS—the uncover up is a favorite. Byredo Gypsy Water Body Wash and Goe Oil are pretty amazing."

: "My mom is way more organized and on top of things than I will ever be, but I hope I have inherited her warmth, and that I am as supportive of my girls as she is of me."

: Dresser details.

: "I’m surrounded by so many great role models. I really lucked into having the best group of friends who also happen to be mothers. We keep each other sane and try not to take ourselves too seriously. On a famous level, I’ve always had serious girl crushes on Sofia Coppola, Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney, Caroline de Maigret, and Jessica de Ruiter—all women who make being a mom look ridiculously cool."

: "'Trying to clean a house with children around is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos.' One of my best friends, Emily, has a million gems like this."

: A cozy Beni Ouarain carpet and cute shoes!

: "Sheesh...I wish! I’m super laid-back and always think, 'We’ll get back to the marriage stuff when they get a little older.' It drives my husband crazy. It’s definitely something I should work on."

Michelle wears a Caron Callahan top, vintage Levi's, and a Grace Lee Designs moonstone necklace.

An impressive vinyl collection.

"I wish I was a better meal planner. Dinner is always the bane of my existence. I’m that girl freaking out at 4:30 p.m. because I don’t have a clue what’s for dinner. The idea that I have to feed everyone all day long, everyday, is pretty much my least favorite thing about being a mom."

"Casual, easy, classic, but then a little scruffy, with a not-trying-too-hard element."

Louisa is wearing a charcoal J.Crew dress.

"Less fussy, less fancy. I’m a sucker for practical and cool."

"Vintage Levi's or high-waisted Mother jeans, Calder tees, oversized button-downs, Beatrice Valenzuela sandals, and my Grace Lee moonstone necklace."

"A simple Apiece Apart dress, flat sandals, and lipstick."

"Ulla Johnson, Caron Callahan, Rachel Comey, Ace & Jig, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh—basically everyone I carry in the store, most of whom happen to be women and moms, so they understand dressing real women for real life."

"Jane Austen meets The Marlton Hotel. I love cool, modern kid rooms, but I wanted to do something a little different and think about what my girls would actually find appealing, as opposed to what an adult might. Lila and I had been watching Pride & Prejudice together. The sets are full of beautiful cottons, linens, and flowers, and my favorite place to stay in NY is The Marlton Hotel. They have these great twin rooms with fur blankets at the end of the beds and the walls are the most delicious pale blue. Nadia Haddad pulled it all together for me!"

"Well, Mille, of course! Also, Anaise, Spartan, JM Drygoods, and Bird. For basics, J.Crew and Everlane. For the girls, Crewcuts, Minikin, and Fawn Shoppe."

The cutest creative corner.

"I do almost everything online since becoming a mother, unless I leave something to the last minute, then I much prefer to have it delivered to my door. Amazon Prime has my name all over it, and don’t even get me started on grocery and take-out delivery apps. That’s my idea of heaven. But it does feel really great to have time to shop in person when I’m home in Austin, or on a buying trip to NYC or LA."

Michelle wears a vintage pink Indian dress, Beatrice Valenzuela sandals, and Céline sunglasses. Lila wears an Olive Juice dress.

"On my dream wishlist is this Cass Bird print, a vacation to Italy next summer, and I am totally NOT a high-end designer handbag girl, but the Sangle Seau Céline bag is pretty beautiful. For Lila, it's going to Narnia, riding a Unicorn, getting a phone, and going swimming with a mermaid tail."

"I own a small online and brick and mortar boutique in Minneapolis called Mille. We carry an edited selection of women’s clothing, accessories, apothecary, and home goods."

Lila showing off her art skills!

"I love that I get to be creative everyday, spending my time surrounded by beautiful things made by interesting people, and that I have a flexible schedule, so I can spend lots of time with my girls."

The tiniest helpers.

Michelle wears a Rachel Comey dress. Lila wears a J.Crew dress and Reinhard Plank hat. Louisa wears a Wilco t-shirt and a Peek skirt.

"We are launching a redesign of our site in the fall by Bird & Banner that I am really excited about. It has been very DIY since the beginning, so it's nice to have people who actually know what they are doing make it look beautiful! I’m also looking forward to shooting more lookbooks this year, which is basically a fun excuse to run off for a couple of nights with two of my best friends."

"I think the scrappy, 'fly by the seat of your pants' non-business plan I stumbled into has actually worked really well for balancing work and motherhood. I initially had a very small online consignment shop and used what I was making from that to start the online shop, with just two lines. It grew really incrementally from there, and I worked out of my house up until three years ago. There wasn’t a grand scheme to grow a giant business from the get-go, so it could ebb and flow as needed. I realized the value of finding amazing people to do all the day-to-day things that I didn’t need to do, so I could spend more time with my girls. I have the best help ever—Kelsee who runs all the day-to-day at the shop, and Brittany, who watches the girls. Now I’m able to work four days a week and my husband is really the best field trip dad. He is always planning out epic Saturday jaunts and is able to hang out with them in the mornings, too. It’s always a work in progress though—it’s definitely not effortless!"

Denim galore!

"I have a love/hate relationship with Minneapolis. I’m not a native and really, really loathe cold weather, but the summers here are lovely. When it’s not freezing, it’s an extremely livable city. It has lots of great resources for families, is politically liberal, and I have amazing friends here. I’d love to move back to Austin, my hometown, someday. I could also see us somewhere in California or Nashville. Austin is really where my heart always is, though."