The timeless European beauty inside Simone & Ivy
Every morning, Leanne Mohagen and Heather Jespersen open the doors of Simone & Ivy to invite customers into an experience. Shoppers meet friends and family, coffee in hand, to browse one-of-a-kind items carefully curated and displayed in pleasing ways. The inventory in this St. Albert boutique caters to all the senses with floral soaps, woodsy candles, soft linens, and tasty treats like Jacek Chocolate, Drizzle Honey, and Salt Spring Island Kitchen products. Also available is Canadian-made furniture, customizable in fabrics that consumers can touch and feel.
The home decor and lifestyle store, co-owned by Mohagen and Jespersen, opened in 2019 and is named after Mohagen’s mother and grandmother. The inventory leans toward timeless and natural pieces with a European vibe, but the personal priority of Mohagen and Jespersen is to provide excellent customer service both in-store and through online sales.
“It was always important to me that the store felt inviting, that it felt like my mom’s house. We lived in this tiny, old farmhouse and everyone was welcome. The door was always open and the coffee was always on. And no matter how busy our life was, the coffee was always flowing and people just rotated in and out of our house,” remarks Mohagen. “That’s what I wanted—for everybody to feel welcome.”
Since opening the store, Mohagen and Jespersen have honed their offerings to reflect their genuine passion and meet their customers’ desires. Last year, they launched a subscription box of their favourite items, with the hope of selling five or ten. They ended up selling 100 boxes in the first month. The team believes it was so popular because deep down, most shoppers want everything done for them. “[Customers] appreciate the easy button. Our whole story is meant to be like that. If you’re coming here for a gift, we do the gift wrapping, we do the boxes. We want it so you can just go from here to the party without having to stop, go home, wrap the present and make it look pretty. We want to be the easy button for everything,” says Mohagen.
Last year, the co-owners launched their own Simone & Ivy brand featured on products around the store, such as scrub brushes, soap dishes, and candle care sets. They plan to continue developing their product line, but at a slow, intentional rate of one product at a time. Having their line was both a choice of convenience when they couldn’t find a product they wanted in a certain way, as well as a lifelong dream of creating products with family names on the label. “My mom was here for Christmas and when she came into the store I showed her that her name and her mom’s name were on the candle jar. She thought that was so special,” recalls Mohagen.
While the products may change as the boutique grows, what remains is Mohagen and Jespersen’s vision to honour the legacy of strong women, while adding to the beauty of homes across Canada.
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