The day I went to visit McMullen, I was on an Instagram mission. The goal: Explore various independent merchants in downtown and post about them to hopefully dazzle Oaktown with stories about this misunderstood neighborhood.
Moving along from Flax Art and Design, I headed uptown to McMullen. This high-end boutique had been on my list of “must visits” since it moved to its current Broadway location in September, 2018. Finally, it was time to see Sherri McMullen’s famous creative fashion vision for real. It was moderately humorous to me that I was walking from an Art Supplies shop to a Fashion as Art boutique.
Let me set the scene: That walk is about 0.7 sweaty miles on a warm sunny Oakland summer day. Plus, I was dressed in t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Let’s just say, it was not a glamorous look. And, I wondered if this could turn into a “Pretty Woman” moment in which I would be tragically thrown out of the shop.
No, this is Oaktown! No attitude here. The staff were wonderfully attentive and enthusiastic. I apologized for being hot and sticky, and, voila, a LaCroix appeared in my hand. I took a lot of pictures hoping those images would capture the essence of this fashion emporium. But, I fear that neither the pictures or my words can do it justice.
So, my remaining few words are devoted to Sherri as she is one of our Oakland Indie heroines.
Oakland Merchants are Oakland Heroes
By all accounts, she is a servant leader that puts her talents and energy to making a positive social impact. In the fashion industry, she supports women designers, especially women of color. She shares her knowledge, lends her time, and gives her space to young makers to promote their work. She leverages her success to help others grow so that they might succeed too.
In short, Sherri is an example of why shopping locally is more than just buying stuff. It’s about community, connection, and caring. She exemplifies the type of leaders we all hope to be one day at LOCALMOTIV.
More About McMullen Boutique
What they offer: Oakland’s high-end fashion boutique with everything to make a woman look and feel her best glamorous self. Dresses, pants, skirts, shirts, blouses, jewelry, accessories, handbags, shoes, jeans, and more! And, it’s a black owned business.
Address: 2257 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 508-0773
Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopmcmullen/
Website: www.shopmcmullen.com/
Neighborhood: Downtown Oakland, Uptown Oakland
