By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune and other outlets
June 27, 2023
For Molly Leary, giving up her music career in Austin to move back to California’s Gold Country was a no brainer. Both her young daughters had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and California had the kind of resources to treat children with special needs that weren’t available to them in Texas. Another bonus was that Leary’s family lived nearby. Though she still performs occasionally when her boyfriend – the guitarist and songwriter Charlie Sexton – asks her to join him on stage, the entrepreneur said she’s fulfilled curating her one-of-a-kind online clothing store Squash Blossom Vintage. Leary shares her vintage finds every Tuesday on Instagram, where some of her followers and supporters include actors Hilary Swank and Daryl Hannah, supermodel Elle Macpherson, musicians Florence Welch and Kathy Valentine, and photographer Greg Gorman. During this 2½-hour Zoom interview – which has been edited for space – Leary discussed some of her favorite trips, where she finds her vintage clothes and the best spots for chocolate cake.
Q: You live in California and Charlie is based out of Texas. How does that work out?
A: It works out amazing. We’ve both been married before and I really wasn’t interested in dating again. But then I met him and distance isn’t a problem for us. We both have our own lives and visit each other. We FaceTime every night. He’s the sweetest, most kind and wonderful man who loves my girls. He could not be an easier person to love, but I enjoy having my own space. … [Laughs] Charlie’s trying to FaceTime me now. He’s probably bored on the tour bus in Bend, Oregon.
Q: Do you travel together often?
A: Yes. He’s on tour with Elvis Costello right now. I’ll be flying to New York to meet up with him and then fly to France. I am getting as much work done beforehand, so that I can relax and not work during the trip.
Q: Can you tell me about a trip you took solo?
A: A couple months ago, I flew to Phoenix, rented a car and drove to Tucson. They had a Linda McCartney exhibit [at the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography]. Paul and [their daughter] Mary curated it. It was so incredible.
Q: What are some things you prioritize when you plan a vacation?
A: I like to see all the sights, but I also check out who’s going to be playing there. The best show I’ve seen in the past couple months was Iggy Pop, who was extraordinary. We’re going to France, but Iggy is not going to be playing there, but he has a concert in Milan [in August]. I was thinking, “What if we flew to Milan for a day for the show…” I know that would not be relaxing and won’t happen, but I did think about it.
Q: Do you have a to-do list planned for France?
A: We’re staying with friends in Provence. Charlie has been to France maybe 40 times but he’s never [gone sightseeing in] Paris, so I’m going to take him to the Louvre. I’d like to go to the South of France. I’m a massive Rolling Stones fan. When they worked on “Exile on Main Street,” they lived in [Villa Nelcotte] and I’d like to see that. I don’t need to get my picture by it, but you just know there’s some mojo down there still. We’re just gonna walk around and be in that for a second. So we’ll do two or three days down in that general area. But man, those hotels – you can’t escape close to $1,000 a night.
Q: Where do you find the clothes you sell in your online vintage store?
A: It changes and is constantly evolving. There was a time when you could get wonderful stuff at thrift stores and estate sales, and you still can sometimes. I get a lot of pieces at flea markets. I’m going to a flea market tomorrow morning that’s half an hour away. A lot of people go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in L.A. or the Alameda [Point Antiques Faire] in the Bay Area. Nineties stuff is so in right now and I’m sure I could make money doing that, but I’m not interested in that. My favorites are from the ’60 and ’70s. But a lot of it is what I pick up when I travel with Charlie. We’ll be in some random place and we’ll go to a flea market. You just never know what you’re going to find.
Q: Where do you like taking your two girls?
A: One of our favorite things to do is to go to San Francisco. We go to Golden Gate Park and they love visiting the California Academy of Sciences. And the Steinhart Aquarium. They love to go see the penguins. The aquarium is really wonderful. And then we always go have a picnic outside. There’s a big Ferris wheel and sometimes there’ll be a band playing in the clamshell. Next we walk over to the Japanese Tea Garden, which is right next door. Golden Gate Park is wonderful. There’s the big Dutch Windmill, bison, paddle boats, Bocce ball. Then the next day we’ll go to the ocean or spend time in Sausalito.
Q: Did you go to those places growing up as well?
A: Yes, these are all the places I went when I was little and I have such fond memories. Visiting the Japanese Tea Garden was always one of my favorite things. We never had tea growing up, so that was a really special thing to go to the little tea house and have a pot of tea. Everytime we go back, it definitely reminds me of my childhood. It’s beautiful.
Q: Do you have any domestic trips planned for the year?
A: I’ve been obsessed with woodworkers my whole life and [the late woodworker and architect] George Nakashima has [his complex] in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The tours are always booked way out. I got on the phone with someone there, who I think could tell that visiting the house was important to me. They’re letting me come and are doing a mini tour for me. I’m so excited! And I’ll be in New York for four days.
Q: And then what are your plans for New York?
A: It’s all about food. There’s one place that has the most amazing croissants. And this morning, I was trying to book reservations for where to eat. So I have to always make sure that I get my steps in in the morning and walk all over town so that I can eat whatever I want.
Q: You’ve talked about your love of chocolate cake on Instagram. Which places would you recommend?
A: The cake at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles is good. But the best was at Greenblatt’s [Deli & Fine Wines] in L.A. Unfortunately, they closed during the pandemic. Charlie used to live around there when he was a teenager recording and he would take his motorcycle down and get his cheesecake there every day. So [years later], he started taking me and it was the best I’ve ever eaten. I’d always get a big piece of chocolate cake and then another piece to take home on the plane. The Burbank security ladies would always joke, “Oh, that can’t come through. We have to keep that.”
© 2023 JAE-HA KIM
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