I was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, the child of an entrepreneur and a creative. I spent my twenties between Washington, DC and New York, receiving my degree in Culture & Politics from Georgetown University and working summer jobs for The New Yorker & The New York Observer. During my time in New York, I was taken under the wing of some incredible friends and mentors in the art & design world and my eyes were opened to the possibilities of a creative life.

I later studied interior design at the Corcoran College of Art & Design, worked for several world renowned interior designers, and throughout it all continued to write for numerous interior design magazines. By now I’d met my husband—a journalist himself—and we found ourselves back down south in Charleston, South Carolina, where I’d landed a job as the Style Editor at Garden & Gun magazine.

Two babies (14 months apart!), many moves, and a recurring writing gig with the Wall Street Journal later, we found ourselves back in Birmingham, eager for the support of family and excited for an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the resurgence of this amazing city. Through it all, my lifelong passion (addiction?) for vintage clothing had emerged as a side-business that kept me busy when not changing-diapers. After several years doing high-end vintage trunk shows throughout the Southeast, and later a successful by-appointment space in Birmingham, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of opening a storefront in May of 2022.

Serendipitously, MK Quinlan is located on the corner of Clairmont Ave and 39th Street South in historic Forest Park, the site of what was once Zoe's, a beloved local vintage store and the place where I first got hooked on the magic of vintage clothing while in high school.

Though our selection of wares has expanded to include contemporary women’s clothing, jewelry, art, and other unique objects for the home, the storytelling that I enjoyed with vintage clothing is the lens through which I curate for our shop.

Through my extensive travels (from as near as Boaz, Alabama for my son's baseball games to New York, Paris, Cape Town, the list goes on), I scour the globe looking for designers and artists with unique stories and approaches to their craft. More than anything, I take pride in sharing what makes what we carry special and worthy of our client’s interest and collections. 

I hope you enjoy :)