No. 9: MD's Newsletter

Our sun's still shining, but it seems half the size

Mar 3

The last few weeks have seen California’s high desert turn into something of a frozen tundra. Which is beautiful in its own way, but not what I would expect or hope for this time of year. Especially now, being in my last few weeks of pregnancy, I’d love to be able to wander outside comfortably, sans thick and bulky layers.

But instead, we’re dealing with sub-40 temps and wet ground that frequently keeps the dog from going outside. We’re bundling up in blankets and sweaters once the sun goes down, when typically in the desert this time of year I might hang out poolside in some joggers and a light hoodie.

My baby is supposed to arrive right around the equinox and the first day of the spring. I’ve loved that about his timing from the start, that he will be entering the world during a time of fresh starts and new blooms. It feels fated and poetic, to enter such a transformative phase of life at the start of a new season. So I’m holding out hope that by the time he arrives, we’ve seen a turnaround in the temps and it feels more like spring.

But if it doesn’t, and it’s still cold and windy and wet? We’ll deal with that too. That’s what space heaters and umbrellas and darling little baby-sized cardigans are for.

Life so rarely unfolds as planned, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Sometimes it’s a welcome surprise.

Onto the links!

Fashion & fines

It’s been a busy and productive few months at Modern Retail. I still dabble in all things e-commerce, but have focused lately on fintech, sustainable shopping & circular economy models, and various public policy issues. I’ve loved being able to dive deep & develop expertise in these areas — the best part is connecting with interesting experts & sources for some really interesting conversations.

A few highlights:

Stay tuned for an exciting and nerdy longer-term project that will publish in the next couple of weeks!

Baby’s first retail conference

Capping off this stretch of reporting was the eTail West conference in Palm Desert this week, which I was fortunate enough to attend. I interview three executives from Claire’s, Affirm and GNC to talk about their business models. Very different companies but one throughline: all of the execs touched on how to market to customers at times when households budgets are stretched thin.

This is where being a business reporter gets interesting: we know costs of living are reaching impossible heights and yet it’s still growth, growth, growth on the companies’ minds. About 40% of Americans skipped out on health care last year because of costs, and yet we’re trying to figure out faster, better ways to get them discretionary products delivered to their door? I hold this tension at the back of my mind during interviews and hope it shows up in the final product — or at least gets private sector pioneers to think about their customer in a new way.

Civic Solutions, 12/12

My final (for now) Civic Solutions column at CV Independent was published this week! This one’s on the efforts the Desert Water Agency is making to get residents to replace their yards with desert landscape — which, if you’re fortunate enough to have a home with a yard in Palm Springs, is actually a pretty beautiful way to go.

I want to thank editor Jimmy Boegle for trusting me with this endeavor and allowing me to explore policy issues from a justice- and solutions-based mindset. It’s a rare editor indeed who trusts a writer to write — especially when they come to you saying, “Hey, I want to write about stuff that’s working!”

Here’s look back at a few other columns published recently that capped off my year of solutions journalism for CV Independent:

To the mountain and back

Aside from work & prepping our house for the baby, I’ve gotten deep into reading novels as a form of entertainment. It’s partly because it’s a great alternative from scrolling social media, but also because I don’t know how much time I’ll have for reading while adjusting to new momhood. My biggest indulgence has been Elin Hilderbrand novels, for better or worse — I love the escapism and Nantucket backdrop and the way she builds her characters. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. Do I have mountains of pop psychology and meditation books I’ve been meaning to get into? Of course. And should I be prepping my mind with parenting books? Probably! But it feels too good to stop now, and frankly it’s kind of inspiring me as a writer to think about what kind of stories I might want to tell someday.

On the music side, I’m deep into Spotify’s lo-fi beats and focus music mixes to help me grind through the day, while the new, gorgeous Margo Price album is a great listen for cruising along the 10. She’s truly become one of my favorite singer-songwriters over the last few years, with her raw vocals and witty wordplay that’s not quite country, not quite blues, but altogether something authentic and folksy and whole.

I’ve also been on a kick of listening to all-time favorites, like Springsteen and Jason Isbell, which has me wondering which of my favorite songs I’ll play to my baby first. Can taste be taught? I’ll report back this spring.

Thanks, as always, for reading,