Community Highlights: Meet Michelle van der Heijden of Mush

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle van der Heijden.

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My mother had a book/gift shop in the 70’s/80’s in Scarsdale, NY. As a young girl, I would always keep myself busy by doing window displays and curating the shop. When I was old enough, she would take me with her to all the trade shows and let me make purchases for the shop. In the 90’s, I went to FIT in NYC for interior design and developed a career for a while doing that. My style was always finding interesting decorative items on flea markets and yard sales with some kind of story to them, I would create a collection and install it in my client’s home, which made for a unique décor. In 2007, I had the opportunity to open my own shop in East Hollywood after working for a few years decorating, curating and buying unique home décor objects for both private clients and other retail shops. That location attracted a clientele in the movie business and I worked with several celebrities and set decorators. With the housing market crashing, no one was decorating homes, so while continuing to sell unique local and vintage art and objects, I was pr0pelled into the world of selling jewelry. In 2013, I moved the shop to my current location in Silverlake, which seems to be a great fit for an eclectic shop like mine. Today, the shop is a culmination reflecting all the different stages we have gone through over the years. I am grateful to be a part of the creative community of Silverlake as well as to have international recognition and success through online streaming and our website.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It never is a smooth sailing with an independent mom and pop retail shop. I survived the 2008 market crash by moving from furniture to mainly accessories and jewelry and gifts. I also survived a lease termination when the building which housed the shop was sold and I was given a month to vacate the site, I went through a location swindle as I was working on securing a new lease which took me good four months to extricate myself from. And so far, I have been resilient to the everchanging fashion hypes. It so happens that what I do is also my hobby so I feel I have an advantage in this respect because my passion for making a difference in my clientele’s life grows stronger with each year passing.

We’ve been impressed with MUSH, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
If you are looking for eclectic vintage or mid-century original art or accent for your home or a uniquely beautiful and stylish piece of jewelry, MUSH is the store for you. With an eclectic mix of antique, vintage and modern MUSH has earned recognition for being a top choice ‘go to’ shop in Los Angeles. Most of our furniture selection is now available through our website: www.MUSH.co

Owner, Michelle van der Heijden, travels the world to curate MUSH with handpicked items not available in most shops and is excited to tend to the ever changing trends of the community at this popular new Silverlake location.

Design consultations for your home, office or store are also available.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Although most clients would believe me to be the outgoing chatty self they see at the store, I’m actually more of an introvert and I enjoy spending time with myself and my cats. So I may say that the store has been to a good extent the source of my social life.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.MUSH.co
• Instagram: @mush_silverlake
• Facebook: @gemrack
• Twitter: @mushSTORE
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/m%C3%BCsh-los-angeles-5

Image Credits:
ELTphotography.com, Lesley Bohm