Influential Oakland, Calif., fashion retailer Sherri McMullen is in expansion mode.
She’s opening a second store next month, at 3687 Sacramento Street in San Francisco’s Pacific and Presidio Heights neighborhood. The location is auspicious; it’s next door to pioneering retail institution Susan, opened by Susan Foslien in 1983, which was one of the first stores to bring Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons and other conceptual Japanese designers to the West Coast in the 1980s. McMullen’s new space was formerly occupied by Foslien’s Grocery Store fashion boutique.
McMullen opened in Oakland 17 years ago, and has made it part of her ethos to support designers of color at her inclusive luxury specialty store. She was the first to buy CFDA Women’s Designer of the Year winner Christopher John Rogers‘ collection, which she stocks alongside Diotima, Khaite, Proenza Schouler, Dries Van Noten, Kamperett, Lisa Folawiyo, Maria McManus, Wales Bonner, Aisling Camps, Malene Birger, Zankov and Abadia along with fine jewelry by Gabriela Artigas and Bernard James, housewares, gifts and more.
Near beloved restaurant Spruce, multidesigner boutique Betty Lin, and home goods store Found by Maja, the second location is 1,000 square feet and will have a similar mix of new and established designers. In-house tailoring, private styling and same-day delivery will be on offer.
“San Francisco holds a special place in my heart, as it was my home when I first moved to the Bay Area over 20 years ago,” said McMullen, a native of Oklahoma, who was a buyer at Neiman Marcus before moving to the Bay Area to work as a textile buyer at Pottery Barn Kids. “Expanding our footprint here feels like a full-circle moment. We are eager to develop deeper connections with the community. So much of what I love doing in this industry is introducing emerging designers from all over the world and bringing them home. The boutique will be a reflection of those brands mixed with our other celebrated designers.”
Although McMullen has e-commerce, she said in-store shopping has increased over the last couple of year and she believes in the power of brick-and-mortar. Stores continue to drive the majorty of her sales and events have become increasingly important to the overall business. “I am a retailer at heart and I truly believe in the store experience. That is where the magic happens,” she said.
She teamed up with San Francisco-based interior designer Noz Nozawa on the space, which incorporates some pieces from her new Corbett Lighting collection. “It was important for me to work with a local interior designer and a woman of color who understands the vibrancy of San Francisco. I admire Noz’s work and was eager to collaborate with her. It has been a dream to work with her and her incredible team,” said McMullen.
Weathering the 2008 recession, the California casual revolution and COVID-19 closures, McMullen has emerged as a fixture on the international fashion scene, and has an eye for spotting new talent, from New York to Nigeria. She counts among her local customers Phenomenal Media founder Meena Harris; “And Just Like That” actress Karen Pittman; Huey P. Newton’s widow, activist Fredrika Newton, and author/political strategist Alicia Garza. She has even styled some of them, including Golden State Warriors’ star Steph Curry and actress Ayesha Curry.
“You are always at the helm of what is going to be great. It’s always been that way, and I’ve known you over a decade,” Curry said at a dinner McMullen hosted in March for Diotima designer Rachel Scott in Oakland. “I remember stumbling into your store in its first location, and seeing designers I had never heard of before that were so fresh, and artistic and creative and always had meaning behind what they were doing.”
Now those designers will have an another footprint in San Francisco, where McMullen’s opening will be a bright spot in what has been a challenging retail environment.
