Mother Stories
Oakland Shop Owner & Power Mama Sherri McMullen
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Maria Del Rio
May 25, 2017
Our first impression after meeting Sherri McMullen? This woman has style running through her veins and a closet to kill for. Which we suppose isn’t that surprising given the fact that she owns the expertly curated McMullen in Oakland. Now in its tenth year, the Grand Avenue shop is filled with stand-out garments just begging for a double-take, including pieces by Ryan Roche, Rosie Assoulin, and Mother favorites Ulla Johnson and Sea New York. And while great style might have marked our first impression of McMullen, after spending some more time with the single mama of 15-month-old Frederick, her strength to forge ahead after losing her mother at a young age, as well as her determination to realize her own dreams, is what we’ll ultimately walk away with. See what we mean, below.
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- "I was looking for a house close to my store because I love the neighborhood. I came across this one driving to the market, I saw the red door and I knew I wanted to see it. I actually fell in love with Frederick's room first, because it was the sunniest room in the house and I knew it would be perfect for him. Plus, it is a 5-minute walk from my store, which is an added bonus. We have lived here for 6 months."
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- "Clean lines, neutral with pops of color throughout. I love blush colors, grey, nudes, creams, and pops of pink and blue. I adore fresh flowers and plants. It's important that my home feels inviting and warm. Nothing is too precious that it can't be sat on, played with, and I just don't get uptight about a little spilled wine on my rug." Sherri wears an Ulla Johnson dress and Lizzie Fortunato earrings, both sold at McMullen. Frederick wears Zara.
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- "I like mixing new with old. I love antiques and the history behind a certain piece. I have these beautiful chairs from the 1960s and the frames were in good condition, but they had gold velvet fabric that was slighting tattered. I had them reupholstered into a beautiful blue mohair fabric. You will find pieces from my travels throughout my home—a pillow from Morocco in Frederick's room, a bowl from India, a pitcher from Spain, antique boxes from Paris, photographs from Mexico."
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- "I don't believe in clutter and I believe everything has a place. I am a pretty organized person and generally focus better in organized spaces. Our home has to feel that way. Now, that is not to say that my son doesn't have his things all over. He has books and toys in every single room in our house. At the end of the day, they go back to their proper place."
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- "The gift of motherhood moves me like nothing else. I'm so in love with my son and truly can't imagine my world without him."
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- "Raising a young black male in our country where people are still judged by the color of their skin."
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- "My upbringing was full of laughter, prayer, love, and sprinkled with tears. I grew up in the Midwest, I'm the youngest of 6 children and we were all very close."
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- "I lost my mother when I was 13. My sisters and my brother have an unbreakable bond because of that connection we share. I watched my sisters and how they raised my nieces and nephews and saw my mother's own strength and wisdom in them. I learned a great deal from them."
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- "I'm very close with my family, so these pictures hold special meaning to me. Most of the people in the pictures have passed away and hold a big place in my heart. They were the beginnings of what I understood fashion to be. I was young and impressionable and they were so beautiful and so stylish. Those pictures are of my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts and uncles. The picture that I adore the most is my mother's high school graduation picture."
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- "Losing my mom at such an early age was hard, no question. We were very close. I was 13-years-old when mom died from breast cancer. When you lose a parent at such an early age, you grow up fast and you realize that you belong to a club that you don't want to be a member of. I looked at my friends' relationships with their mothers and longed for that. I felt a void and didn't want to get too close to anyone, for fear of abandonment if something went wrong. I longed to be a mother and when the time came, I fully embraced it. It had been an emotional journey and having my child removed all of my fears. All of the love I thought I had lost when my mother passed, I know for a fact I found when my son was born."
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- "Frederick Henry is his first and middle name. Frederick is his paternal grandfather's name. Henry is my grandfather, father, and brother's name."
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- "What excites me is that I get to show him the beauties of the world and watch him see something for the first time. There is nothing more special than that connection between a mother and her son. My son is curious, playful, affectionate, and he's a thinker. We laugh at the silliest things, we both love music and I dance with him everyday."
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- "Since becoming a mother, the realities of the world in which we live have become amplified. I think about keeping my son safe. I get emotional thinking about this political climate we are experiencing. I am certainly more aware, more informed, more vocal, and I will instill in my son the passion for activism."
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- "My four sisters."
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- "Of course, Mommie Dearest. You'll never find any wire hangers in this house."
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- "My pregnancy was wonderful and easy. I loved every bit of being pregnant. At the end, I developed preeclampsia and had to deliver early, but although he was premature, thank god, he was healthy." Sherri wears a dress by Ryan Roche and earrings by Lizzie Fortunato, both sold at McMullen. Frederick wears pieces from Valentine's in Oakland.
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- "The most important advice I would give someone considering co-parenting or being a single parent is put your child first. Every decision should come from that place when co-parenting. The most important thing for us is that Frederick feels love from both of his parents."
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- "Take care of your mind, body, and soul, so you can take care of your child."
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- "The diversity. Oakland is a special place and a progressive community."
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- "Paris."
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- "For the past 10 years, I have owned McMullen, a designer women's retail business in Oakland, focusing on emerging female designers around the world."
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- "I attended the University of Oklahoma with a business degree in accounting. After college, I moved to Dallas and worked as an accountant and hated it. I always loved fashion and decided that I wanted to make a career in it. I wanted to understand how product got into the stores and was interested in more of the behind-the-scenes process. I discovered that Neiman Marcus had an Executive Development Program where they trained people to become buyers. I applied for the program and they liked that I had a business background and accepted me. I quickly realized that being a buyer was less about selecting product and more about analyzing business. I loved it right away. I also enjoyed working with designers and understanding their story."
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- "An opportunity took me to San Francisco, where I became a textile buyer for Pottery Barn Kids and helped launch the brand and open retail stores. I traveled around the world at the age of 25, negotiating contracts with agents in India, China, and Hong Kong. My passion for creating a brand and opening retail stores excited me and I started writing my business plan for McMullen. I created story boards that I would pull out for my friends any time they came to visit. A few years later, I opened McMullen. And here I am 10 years later."
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- "Ha! I was creating newsletters in the hospital a day after giving birth. I took off a few weeks by not working in the store, but I worked from home. I gave birth during fashion week and the buying season and I was literally FaceTiming with my designers in Paris while working in my robe and breastfeeding my son."
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- "These are the 2008 Vogue Italia Black Issues. All 4 copies," says Sherri. "For decades, you didn't see many black faces on the cover of high fashion magazines and certainly not an entire issue dedicated to black culture.nThey are iconic and I'll keep them forever. I had a book store in San Francisco put them aside for me as soon as they arrived."
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- "Frederick's room gets the most sun and has large windows," says Sherri of his space. "His walls are grey and furniture is dark wood, but there is color throughout with his play mat, a few toys (most are in his playroom), and paintings. I incorporated black and white photography with paintings by local artists. There is a pillow from Morocco in his rocker, books with beautiful notes from friends and family, a collage of well wishes for Frederick hanging on a ribbon along the window curtains. I can't wait for Frederick to start making art, so I can fill the walls of our home with his work."
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- "I brought my son to work with me in the beginning, every day. I nursed him and carried him in my baby carrier while I was working and he was sleeping. I met with clients and he was with me. I traveled to markets in NYC and Paris and he was on every appointment. I incorporated him into my work life."
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- "It truly takes a village and it is a juggling act, for sure. I work 4 days a week in the store and 3 days in my home office. I have a nanny and she is wonderful and like family. The days I'm in the store, I'm laser focused, because each hour is accounted for. The other days, it's mommy-and-Frederick time. We have weekly swim classes, we go to museums regularly, parks, the zoo, whatever. I don't have much time outside of my son and work, but I do try and exercise and see close friends." What do you like most about your job? Working with and meeting dynamic women every day.
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- Sherri inside of her shop, McMullen.
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- "Working with and meeting dynamic women every day."
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- “I enjoy fashion, so it changes all the time. Since becoming a mother, my fashion hasn't changed that much. I still enjoy dressing up but my dry cleaners sure love me more.” Sherri wears a Rosie Assoulin top, Grlfrnd jeans, and Aquazzura shoes, all sold at McMullen.
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- “Jumpsuits. I wear them 3-4 times a week. I have a vintage black Chanel one that I adore and I also love ones from Ulla Johnson.”
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- "So many. Right now and thinking about who I wear most of the time—Ulla Johnson, I've been carrying her since she started so I've collected quite a few pieces. She has easy dresses and cool jumpsuits; Sea New York, I love everything that they make. It's relaxed and has a cool French girl sensibility; Ryan Roche has luxe cashmere pieces, but they still feel casual; and Maki Oh has incredible prints."
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- “McMullen!”
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- "I love a blow out, although I wear my hair in its natural curly state most times. I go to Hairplay in S.F. Fritz is the best. I also use La Mer face cream and eye cream. I've been using it for over a decade and just can't live without them. I don't wear much makeup unless going out, but I love a red lipstick."
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- "I exercise regularly. Dailey Method is my go-to. It keeps me strong and meditation—something I grew up seeing my mother do many times a day—keeps me balanced. I was a marathon runner and gave it up years ago because of my knees."
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- "Exercise is important to me. I typically do some form every morning. It's really the only time I have for myself. For Mother's Day, I went to the spa and that was heaven. It was the first time in years and I realized how much I needed that and will do it more regularly."
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- For more on Sherri and her shop, check out her Instagram feed here.
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