Podcast Summary: Talk Shop with Ariel Okin

Episode: From the Mississippi Delta to Reed Smythe: Keith Meacham’s Story of Friendship and Craft

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Ariel Okin
Guest: Keith Smythe Meacham (Co-founder, Reed Smythe & Company)

Overview

This episode of "Talk Shop" invites Keith Smythe Meacham, co-founder of Reed Smythe & Company, to share her winding journey from public education in New York to running a celebrated Southern home goods store. Ariel and Keith explore themes of friendship, career reinvention, Southern design heritage, the bonds between makers and curators, and the joys and tribulations of launching a creative retail business. The conversation highlights the deeply personal stories behind Reed Smythe & Company and offers rich advice on collaboration, creative fulfillment, and trusting your gut—be it in decorating, entrepreneurship, or life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing Keith and Reed Smythe & Company

• Keith’s style, distilled: "Classic, casual, and comfortable." [02:46]
• Keith's transition from a 25-year career in education and ed-tech to shop co-owner at age 49.
• The genesis of Reed Smythe & Co: Friendship and collaboration with Julia Reed, blending family legacies, Southern hospitality, and handmade artistry.

  “She [Julia] said, I don’t want you just to help me. I want you to be my partner... Reed, obviously, was Julia's last name, and Smythe is my maiden name. And so because our families were really close friends, we thought that would be a really nice way of bringing the two of us.” —Keith [06:02]

2. Southern Roots and Design Ethos

• The impact of growing up in rural Mississippi on style sensibility: traditions of hospitality, entertaining at home, and resourceful, welcoming interiors.
• Lack of professional decorators in the South led to “the woman of the house look”—approachable, layered, and lived-in.

  “You make your own fun... There wasn't really anywhere else to go. So this tradition of hospitality and entertaining at home has a lot to do with the sensibility that both Julia and I brought to our own houses and to Reed Smythe and Company.” —Keith [10:12]

3. Building a Brand Through Friendship and Grief

• Early days of Reed Smythe: Navigating business with no prior experience, learning on the go, and making things up as they went.
• Emphasized curating unique, often bespoke goods from makers—never mass-produced.
• Julia’s illness and passing during COVID-19 deeply shaped the business and Keith’s commitment to their shared vision.

  “I didn’t really know if I would want to continue doing this without her... but the outpouring of love and support of what we were up to was just kind of overwhelming.” —Keith [15:28]

4. From Career Change to Lifelong Learning

• Keith’s philosophy: it’s never too late for a career pivot, and personal passions (like childhood home “designs”) will always serve you well.
• Advice for others: “You really don’t have to stay in the same career for your entire life... If there’s something that you found that you loved doing outside your career, pursue that.” —Keith [18:17]
• Her daughters and young staff inspired by witnessing reinvention at midlife.

5. Curating and Collaborating with Artisans

• Sourcing is both instinctual and collaborative: Keith seeks what she finds “beautiful” or “what [she] would want in her own house.” [19:39]
• Example: Collaboration on a bespoke oyster knife with a New Orleans sculptor and a third-generation bronze working family.
• Focus on reviving lost arts, such as English “mocha ware,” and forging deep relationships with craftspeople—from New England to Italy and Portugal.

  “It’s a little bit of, I know it when I see it... One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is getting an idea in my own head and finding the right collaborator.” —Keith [19:39] “He [Arkansas potter] has been making mocha ware stuff for us for about five years... bringing back art that has not been in the marketplace and has only really been found in antique shops.” —Keith [22:03]

6. Role in the Design Community & In-store Magic

• Reed Smythe’s broader role: not as decorators, but as crucial storytellers and connectors in the design ecosystem.
• The importance of brick-and-mortar for community: author talks, workshops, and seasonal gatherings create local engagement and learning opportunities.

  “The shop has become this really fun nexus... being able to invite people in, and it’s really going to be kind of a holiday cocktail party with a book signing and a little chat.” —Keith [30:08]

7. Fostering Authenticity and Personal Point of View

• Every shop is unique because it reflects the owner’s taste and story.
• Valuing relationships with other curators, designers, and customers; championing small shops like KRB, John Derian, Nikki Kehoe, Pentreath & Hall, and championing personal favorites from big brands to flea markets.

  “I admire everybody who works in this space where they’re keeping it small, keeping it local. It’s not easy... as a business, it’s really challenging.” —Keith [27:13]

8. Favorite Home Resources & Gift Guide Tips

• Gift-giving philosophy: think personally about every recipient.
• Favorite brands: The Row (her dream bag), Le Creuset (as a go-to for cook friends), colored glassware, and European Christmas decor from German makers.
• Highlighted UK brand Summerill and Bishop, another friendship-founded shop with a poignant legacy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership and Authenticity:

  “You’re only as good as your client and you’re only as good as the collaboration you have with your client.” —Keith [00:41 & 44:27]

• On Friendship in Business:

  “It was so much about the power of female friendship... because you hit a career inflection point, and someone who had been a longtime friend of yours took you under her wing, and together, you start this beautiful company.” —Ariel [07:27]

• On Community:

  “One of the coolest parts of brick and mortar is being able to create that community around your brand.” —Ariel [31:26]

• On Personal Taste:

  “Trust your gut. Whether it’s about design or about life or parenting... Don’t let anybody else tell you what’s right for you, even if you’re working with an amazing interior designer.” —Keith [44:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:46] — Keith describes her style in three words
• [06:19] — Reed Smythe & Company’s origin story
• [10:12] — Influence of Mississippi on design and hospitality
• [13:07] — Starting the shop with no business background: challenges, early philosophies
• [15:28] — Julia’s illness and its impact on the business
• [18:12] — Advice and inspiration behind career pivots
• [19:39] — Artisans and collaboration: the story of the oyster knife and more
• [22:03] — Bringing lost arts back into modern homes (mocha ware)
• [24:01] — The joy of curation vs. interior design practice
• [30:08] — Expanding the shop into an inclusive community hub
• [33:29] — Keith’s favorite shops and influences
• [35:18] — Gift guide picks and shop curation
• [44:27] — Most important advice: trust your gut in all decisions

Take 10: Rapid-Fire Questions (Selected Highlights)

• Favorite food: Cheeseburger [38:02]
• Favorite drink: White wine [38:06]
• Favorite hotel: The Crosby Street, New York [38:30]
• Favorite city: Paris [38:45]
• Favorite design book: Mika Tenhave’s book on styling [40:36]
• Coffee or tea: Black coffee [39:18]
• Weekend activity: Reading [39:45]

Projects On The Horizon

• New partnerships with a potter in Grotelia, Italy; lighting and earthenware inspired by Moorish and Greek forms [41:45]
• Ongoing collaborations with a Vermont glassblower and self-taught artisans in Portugal and the U.S. [42:52–44:15]

Final Advice

“Always my advice is trust your gut, whether it’s about design or about life decisions or about parenting… Don’t let anybody else tell you what’s right for you, even if you’re working with an amazing interior designer... It can always change.” —Keith [44:27]

Where to Find More

• Website: readsmythe.com
• Instagram: @reedsmytheco
• Keith recommends checking out their blog for recipes, travel guides, and house tours.

Tone and Language:
Warm, candid, often playful and nostalgic, with special emphasis on storytelling and insight gleaned from both personal loss and creative risk-taking. Friendship, authenticity, and Southern hospitality infuse every anecdote.

This summary was created to capture the heart, stories, and practical wisdom from the conversation between Ariel Okin and Keith Smythe Meacham. Whether you’re a design enthusiast, entrepreneur, or someone savoring the magic of personal reinvention, Keith’s journey offers much to inspire.