02/04/2024
GET TO KNOW THE OWNERS OF SIMPLE LAGUNA:
Amidst the shuttering of major retailers that have been happening in recent years,  HeshamâSammyâ and his wife Jenni Elmished have been experiencing continued growth and success with their boutique, Simple Laguna located  in the busy hub of Laguna Beach.Â
 The couple have a long history of retail starting on the east coast with their first store Simple Sono in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1987 although they didnât plan to start out that way. âWhen we opened our store on âBlack Mondayâ, it was originally designed for men and then we added a womenâs line,â said Jenni. âWe really didnât know what we were doing but we liked clothes so we bought what we loved and took it from there.â The couple visited high end designer stores in New York City and expanded their clothing lines to align more with their own aesthetic adding a line of specialty gifts and home goods.
 According to the couple, the key to the success of their retail operations is location, location, location which any commercial real estate expert would advise. âYour store has to be where your traffic is, because it is very hard to get people to come to you if itâs not convenient for them,â said Sammy. âAnd you have to be authentic â you canât just copy someone else because at most, youâll only be second best. Everyone bakes his own bread and we have found that special flavor is what people are looking for!âÂ
Their son Zach is also actively involved in the business as operations director and overseeing the two store locations in southern California.Â
âWe believe our customers are looking for elegant casual clothing that is stylish, timeless and most of all comfortable,â said Jenni. âMost of our customers are quite worldly, have travelled around the globe and are open and confident with who they are and appreciate attention to detail. We offer that special niche for the customer who wants high quality and dressing a bit differently than what the average retailer may offer.âÂ
www.simplelaguna.com