Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News
…with idea that began on Bonita Beach
What if we just stayed on vacation forever?
It’s something that many of us fantasize about, but this meditation on life was inspired during a Bonita Springs snowbird season decades ago, leading to the birth of Tommy Bahama.
Although Tommy’s not an actual human, the behemoth Floridian lifestyle brand encompassing products ranging from fashion and home furnishings to food and tropical cocktails is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023.
The founders’ first foray was menswear, hitting store department stores in 1993.
Two years later, what was initially planned as the company’s first standalone retail store changed when a real estate opportunity in Olde Naples proved irresistible.
The brand’s CEO, Doug Wood, credits Barbara Walker of Neapolitan Enterprises for igniting an idea in 1995 when two of Tommy’s co-founders, Tony Margolis and Bob Emfield, wanted to open their first retail store.
It was Margolis, Emfield and their wives who were inspired on Bonita Beach years ago to create the brand.
The gents thought 1,000 square feet, but Walker showed them a space eight times that size.
The result? Two shops, one for menswear, a second for womenswear, both sandwiching what would become the brand’s first-ever restaurant.
From Naples to a National Presence – read the story on Naples Daily News
Contact David to find your home in the Bonita Beach area of southwest Florida. David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.