Brenda Bedrick, the ‘Me’ in Mel & Me

Brenda Bedrick knows what moves her. Working as a speech pathologist, she felt she was in the wrong field. The job didn’t allow her to be herself, to engage fully with her role. Since she always loved fashion, starting out selling bathing suits at Shepard’s Department Store, she began working for Mel Baker’s clothing store, where she shopped. Eventually, she became a business partner, and Mel & Me was born. 

Because Bedrick always signed her correspondence “Love, me,” the partners decided to use that for a clever and memorable store name. There truly is a lot of Bedrick in Mel & Me. Working together since 1991, the two get along famously. Bedrick gushes about her admiration and respect for Baker, whom she considers to be her mentor. She loves the fact that he never stands in her way. When she is choosing the clothes for the store, she doesn’t have to worry about Baker disapproving – her partner has implicit trust in her judgment, she said. The only element Bedrick has to focus on is fashion. 

Bedrick considers her collaboration with Baker a major accomplishment. After all, it’s not easy to run an upscale clothing store in Rhode Island for 23 years. In addition to succeeding in “maneuvering through [the state’s] economy,” she prides herself on taking her partner’s lead and treating their 12 employees the same way she likes to be treated – instead of micromanaging, she listens to their opinions and finds reasons to laugh together. That might be the reason why most of the store’s “fantastic sales staff” has been with them for more than 20 years. 

Her employees are not the only ones Bedrick pays attention to; she makes it a point to listen to her customers. Since the specialty department store carries a range of styles, the shoppers can get lost in the tremendous selection. The consultant’s job is to guide the client in the right direction, she said. Sometimes, it involves gently pushing them toward a choice they hadn’t considered but end up falling in love with. Interaction with clients is her daily inspiration.

To buy the latest fashions, the partners travel to shows in Milan, Paris and New York. They select clothing from a wide range of designers. Right now, the store’s most popular designer is Jil Sander. Bedrick is hesitant to pinpoint her favorite article of clothing at Mel & Me, saying that it changes frequently since new merchandise comes in often. Currently, she loves cashmere dresses and jackets in a variety of colors. Bedrick says that, this season, richer hues are extremely trendy – when selecting your fall wardrobe, look for dark greens, burgundies and blues. She adds that black always works, too. 

Another constant that always remains in style for Bedrick is her family. She relishes celebrating holidays and maintaining Jewish traditions with them. When she was a young mother, Bedrick had to sacrifice to have a career. She jokes that she made it work by hiring “a wife” for her husband and kids. She and Gerry, her husband of 47 years, are both grateful for the help that allowed Bedrick to grow as a businesswoman. Right now, she is glad to be observing Jody, her daughter-in-law, who is building a career of her own, working alongside Bedrick at the store. What’s more, her daughter shops at Mel & Me, and her granddaughter has already expressed an interest in the store, despite being too young to shop there. 

Offering some advice to young women, Bedrick says, “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” It’s a quote she heard that stayed with her because she profoundly related to the message. Bedrick never feels that her job is an imposition. When she arrives at the store, she’s glad to be there. Bedrick says, “I consider myself very lucky.”

IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.