About Max Retail
Built by retailers.
Built for retailers.
Our Mission
We exist to give independent retailers the tools they’ve always deserved.
Max Retail is a retail technology platform that converts past-season inventory into cash: fast, fairly, and without the headaches. We connect independent retailers directly with shoppers who want what they have, on terms that work for everyone. Max Retail has been featured by Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomberg, and other industry press.
The founders
Retailers who became builders.
Co-Founder & CEO
Melodie van der Baan
A former road rep and independent retailer, Melodie spent years traveling the country selling to boutiques before opening her own store. The frustration of unsold inventory drove her to build Max Retail. Named to the Inc. Female Founders 500, she leads the company with the perspective of someone who has lived every challenge her customers face.
Co-Founder & CHRO
Morgan Bodstrom
Morgan co-owned a retail shop with Melodie and experienced the inventory problem firsthand. Before that, she spent years in executive recruiting in New York City, focused on wholesale apparel, footwear and accessories. As Chief Human Resources Officer, she leads talent and culture, building the team that powers Max Retail’s growth.
Co-Founder & R&D Lead
Damon Ciarelli
Damon is the engineer who turned Melodie and Morgan’s vision into patented technology. As R&D Lead, he oversees the platform infrastructure powering Max Retail’s multi-channel distribution, listing automation, and logistics, giving independent retailers tools previously only available to enterprise brands.
From Our Founder
Why Melodie built Max Retail.
"Max Retail didn't start in a boardroom. It started on the road."
Before she was a founder, Melodie van der Baan was a rep and a retailer. She skipped the traditional higher education path, went into real estate, and lost nearly everything in the 2008 housing crash. What she did next shaped the company she would go on to build.
She got herself a mobile showroom, brands to represent and criss-crossed the country, selling to independent boutiques. Melodie later opened her own store in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. That is where the problem got personal. Season after season, she watched great products stall on the floor. Cash sat trapped in racks that would not move, markdowns made her cringe, but were her only option.
Melodie knew every independent retailer was fighting the same quiet battle, and that the usual answers, deeper discounts and steeper markdowns, only made it worse. So she built the tool she wished she'd had. Max Retail gives independent retailers and brands a simple way to turn unsold, past-season inventory back into cash, connecting their overstock with hundreds of millions of shoppers online without the race to the bottom.
What began as one retailer's frustration now powers thousands of stores across the country. In her conversation with Outsider Inc., Melodie walks through the whole journey: the crash, the comeback, and the idea that became Max Retail. It is the clearest look at why this company exists, straight from the person who lived the problem.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our values aren’t a wall poster. They’re how we work.
01
We Lift While We Climb
Our success is shared. By mentoring and collaborating, we grow together and win as one team.
02
Outcomes Over Output
We focus on what creates real value: moving fast, simplifying wherever possible, and delivering what matters.
03
Act Like an Owner
We show up with accountability, urgency, and pride in everything we do. No excuses, no silos.
04
Share Knowledge
What we know, we share. Transparency and teaching each other makes everyone sharper and faster.
05
Grow On Purpose
Personal and professional growth are intentional. We embrace curiosity, welcome feedback, and adapt to get better every day.
06
Listen, Speak, Commit
We listen to understand, speak with honesty and respect, and commit to moving forward together, even when we disagree.
READY TO GET STARTED?
