Maggie Rizer Takes Us Inside Her Beautiful East Bay Boutique

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

When it comes to the world of fashion, walking the walk is crucial to a model’s success. At her five-month-old boutique, M, model Maggie Rizer is hitting her stride. “It’s been a learning experience for me to feel confident with my buying,” Rizer recently told Haute Living. “At the beginning, I was thinking a little too New York and LA. I’m excited about spring because it’s more casual, a lot more of what the East Bay woman is looking for.”

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Although she grew up in upstate New York and spent much of her life traveling for photo shoots and runway shows—Rizer has appeared in every major fashion magazine from Vogue to W and walked at countless shows including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel—she has a clear understanding of what Bay Area women want. She is one of them. After getting married, Rizer and her husband settled in San Ramon where she now raises four small children while running the boutique.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

M is at City Center Bishop Ranch, a new retail project in San Ramon that is home to shops, restaurants, a gym, and a movie theater. Rizer stresses that it’s not a mall, but “a modern town square where people come to live their life” and her store is a reflection of that sentiment.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

There is a children’s play area with a birdcage and canaries and plenty of space for lounging. “It was designed so that people could come in, sit down, open a coffee table book, and fully relax and enjoy the space. It’s like a piece of art because everything is beautiful—the books, jewelry, and clothes.”

Photo Credit: M

Rizer has stocked M with brands she doesn’t easily come across in the Bay: “I went out of my way to find things that I don’t see around.” Think Rick Owens, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Meyer, Helmut Lang, Emilio Pucci, and Lisa Marie Fernandez. For spring she loves HVN’s floral dresses, Anna Sui printed tops, Temperley knit sweaters, Charlotte Olympia flats, and Dean Harris gold hoops.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

For a busy working mother, accessories are “a big deal because it’s an easy way to stay in touch with fashion while wearing jeans and a t-shirt,” she pauses before continuing. “Women crave fashion. Whether they are at a flag football game or swim meet, they’re still putting their best fashion foot forward, but they need to be able to do it in a wearable way.” Spoken like a model mother.