Let’s start with the name. Merlau is the historical root of Merlot, the grape that doesn’t usually star on its own but blends with others to make something all the better. For co-owners Frank and Anna, that was the whole idea in a word: a shop where emerging brands, personalities and aesthetics come together under one roof. Hence the tagline, A Curated Blend of Brands.
The business itself started by addressing two problems the couple kept bumping into from opposite sides of the counter.
“People are increasingly tired of seeing the same national retail stores in every major city, selling essentially the same products,” Frank says. Younger shoppers are hunting for the next niche label, and most of those brands live entirely online. “You can discover them on Instagram or TikTok, but you can’t walk into a store, see the product in person, feel the quality, or try it on.”
On the other side are the brands themselves, grinding it out at weekend markets or pouring money into online ads just to get seen. “We wanted to create another avenue for these businesses,” Frank says. “A permanent physical presence without having to take on the enormous cost of opening a store themselves.”
What Makes the Cut
Anna handles the curation, and she runs a tight door. Small, emerging brands first. Handmade is a big plus; if not handmade, the owner at least has to design the product. No wholesale. No vintage, with one exception for a single watch brand that earned it. And roughly 95 percent of the store is priced under $200 per item.
For many of those brands, MERLAU is their first permanent retail address. The shop takes on the storefront, staffing, merchandising, inventory and sales so founders can keep creating.
“We’re creating a community where entrepreneurs can meet one another, share ideas, learn from each other, and realize they’re not building their businesses alone,” Frank says. “We want our brands to look back at their time with MERLAU and say that it was a meaningful part of their growth.”
Two Roads, One Storefront
Frank and Anna arrived at the same idea from different directions. Anna graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in economics, then passed on the traditional finance track to bet on her creative side. She launched her clothing brand, MANN, sold online and spent weekends working markets across Miami-Dade, seeing the small-brand ecosystem from the inside.
Frank played football at the University of Miami, graduated with an economics degree and spent much of his career around real estate, business and marketing in South Florida. When Anna floated the idea of a store, they got to the same answer from opposite angles: this was going to work.
Why the Grove?
“What’s not to love about the Grove?” Frank says. “It’s walkable, it has history, it’s surrounded by beautiful homes and greenery, and there’s a real mix of locals, visitors, restaurants, independent businesses, and established retailers. It feels like a neighborhood rather than just a shopping district.”
Commodore Plaza, with its array of independent boutiques and fine dining, turned out to be the perfect block. “We don’t want MERLAU to feel like an island,” Frank says. “We want to be part of the ecosystem.” Customers regularly walk in and mention a neighboring shop sent them over.
The Coconut Grove BID, Frank adds, has been “incredibly valuable because they understand that a neighborhood is more than the individual businesses within it.” Through the BID, MERLAU has plugged into district events and the broader Grove business community. Looking ahead, he sees the Grove growing as a destination while keeping a healthy balance of established names and independent concepts.
Come In Curious, Leave With a Belt
Frank’s read on today’s shopper is simple. “People want discovery again.” When almost anything is a thirty-second phone purchase away, walking into a store needs a better reason than convenience. MERLAU’s answer is making a surprise find. Someone walks in for a bikini and leaves with jewelry from a brand they’ve never heard of and a new favorite label. Women in their 40s come in expecting the place to skew too young and walk out with a purse and a brown leather belt they didn’t know they needed.
To brands hoping for a spot on the shelf: “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. If you have a great product and you’re passionate about what you’re doing, we want to hear from you!”
When the shift is over, the couple usually heads straight home, exhausted. The real ritual happens before opening at Chug’s Diner. Frank grew up in New Jersey, the diner capital of the world, and figured he’d seen every kind of diner there was. He had not seen one with a Cuban twist. “We always leave there with full stomachs and the perfect coffee buzz before our shift starts.”
MERLAU
3162 Commodore Plaza, Suite 1A
(561) 705-4489
Tue–Fri 12–6 PM | Sat 11 AM–7 PM | Sun 11 AM–6 PM | Closed Monday
shopmerlau.com | @shopmerlau