Getting to Know Laura!
Getting to Know Laura!
What's your position at MG? What does that mean for you?
I’m the Marketing & Media Director. That’s a fancy way of saying, I wear a lot of hats and I’m always doing something different. For example, I wrote this questionnaire (even though I didn’t really think about the fact I would also have to answer it and as a result, I have avoided doing it thus being the last person to actually complete it), but I also do a lot of our digital strategy, analytics, I run the blog, partnerships, advertisement, events, run our internship program, I helped design the website, etc.. I love learning and mastering new skills. A lot of my job kind of becomes growing in areas that the company needs when we need it and I absolutely love it!
How did you get started at Molly Green?
It was January 2012, I was a junior in college and I had my first ever internship for a stylist. We had a photoshoot and we pulled from Molly Green. I immediately loved Brittany and Anna. The store had such good feels, which might sound silly, but I was a newly minted 21-year-old and I never really been in a store that felt that welcoming like I could immediately be myself. Later, when I was returning the clothes from the shoot, I started talking with Brittany and Anna, and they asked if I would like to intern there that summer. So I did, and then I kept working there on and off through the school year. After I graduated from college they offered me my first job doing something very similar to what I do now. Life happens, I’ve had other jobs since then. I went back to school. Got my masters, but I always stayed friends with Brittany and Anna. I followed Molly Green and loved watching the company grow! A few months after I graduated, they offered me my current job. I was thrilled and I cried. Life is funny and you end up places you never expected, but when you love what you do and work with wonderful human that care about you it makes it all worthwhile.
What do you like most about your job?
Hmmmm, if I say everything I sound like a kiss-up, but truly there isn’t one I like best because I love it all. I supposed, if I had to pick, I would say I like that every day is different and that I have space to keep learning and growing. The monotony of an everyday desk job would just kill me.
What is your least favorite part?
I don’t think there is a part I like least about what I do, but I will say the day of the tornado was one of the hardest days I’ve lived through. Our East Nashville store was a labor of love for all of us. People I love with all my heart came together and made this really amazing space. We filled it with everything we loved. We met tons of people. We made friends that became family. We hosted so many fun events. We laughed there. We grew in this beautiful space that we made together. It was a space that I will forever be proud of because it wasn’t just for us. It was for the community. It’s hard to talk about what the tornado took not just from me and the incredible humans I work with, but what it took from everyone. So many in Nashville lost so much more.
Favorite MG memory?
Oh, I have so many good ones that I will cherish forever! Some of my favorite memories happen when we open a new store. We have moved and opened a lot of stores since I joined the team in 2018, and I love all the care that goes into each and every store. I’m so lucky to work with the kindest most talented humans in the world. Not everyone knows this, but not all of our stores carry the same thing and that’s because we know all of our shoppers and space are beautifully unique. When we go into opening a store, Brittany does an amazing job of filling it with incredibly special items, and then Heather merchandises them. Heather makes everything she touches beautiful. Kelsey is so great at creating engaging content for Instagram. She has such a good eye and weaves everything together beautifully. I’m always amazed at what she creates. Anna is an incredible leader and teacher and does such a killer job of inspiring the store team. Brandon is one of the most organized and detailed oriented humans I’ve ever worked with. He keeps everyone on task.
I could go on and on, but what I’m trying to say is that there is nothing like being in a new space and working with people you admire, while you create something you love. Those are the best memories!
Favorite item you've gotten from MG?
So much of what I wear is MG and I’ve had it for years and they become my staple go-to pieces. One of my all-time favorites is a jean jacket I purchased last summer. It is perfectly oversized, comfy, and goes with everything!
How would you describe your personal style?
Once again, I wrote this question and made others answer it without ever really considering I would have to answer it. So there’s that.
I don’t know if there is one true and perfect way to describe my personal style because it changes every day. I just wear what feels like me. There is a little touch of whimsy to everything I wear. I love bright rich colors and playing with patterns. I also want everything to have a little bit of an edge and then add red lipstick **chef’s kiss**.
I also have a truly ridiculously wonderful earring collection, but that’s neither here nor there.
What inspires you?
Humans. There so much beauty and love in this world. I will never stop being amazed at the richness of creation that exists around me.
What is something strange about you? ALT: Do you have a secret talent?
To quote Lydia in Beetlejuice, “I myself am strange and unusual.” However, I don’t know if there is any one thing that comes to mind and I’m not harboring a secret talent. Though I feel like I experience Deja Vu more often than others and I want to know what’s up with that.
I’m oddly good at badminton. That’s it. I was banned from all other sports at my school.
What is something not a lot of people know about you that you wish they did? ALT: Do you have a party trick? If so, what is it?
There is so much I want to say and don’t. Often times I find people are a lot shyer than I am, so I find myself talking a lot in order to better build better connections. For example, this questionnaire, I wrote this and had different individuals in mind for every question. I think everyone is so cool and interesting and special in ways that we don’t often realize about ourselves.
Party Trick: I can cuss in 8 languages (English, Italian, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Danish, and ASL). I don’t know if that counts as a party trick, but it’s definitely something I can do.
When you're not at MG what are you doing?
I’m a pop culture junkie and unabashed nerd. I love reading, writing, art, true crime, stand-up comedy, and learning anything new. I never met a subject I didn’t want to know more about.
Do you have anything you want to promote?
One of my best friends and I are starting a podcast. So, Yes! But more details to follow.
Favorite thing you've done recently?
I was invited to tell a story as part of The Great Indoors’ reading series. It was hosted on Zoom. Humans from all over the U.S. attended. It’s taken me a while to say this about myself, but I love telling stories and I’m really great storyteller. I told a story about the worst funeral I’ve ever been to. It’s a very true story and I loved seeing people laugh.
Where can we find you on Instagram?
What do you love about Nashville?
I’ve lived in Nashville for almost 2 years now and I’m still learning the city. There is a lot to love here though I do at times still feel like an outsider. When Nashville went through the tornado, I saw another side of the community. There are signs, murals, bumper stickers, etc. everywhere that say, “I believe in Nashville”, and it sounds like just a cute catch-phrase until you realize that there is so much heart behind those words. Nashville loves hard and the people who live here will always show up for you.
Is there anything you want to add?
If you thought this was long, you should try talking to me.