Simply Southern was founded in 2005 by Ginger Aydogdu in Greensboro, NC. The company started as a small kiosk in a local mall and has since grown into a large corporation employing over 400 people. Simply Southern started out making t-shirts, but has since expanded into the gift, apparel, and accessory space.
Simply Southern is not just a brand but a lifestyle that customers, friends, and followers connect with for a happy, preppy, and classy existence. Ginger chose the name ‘Simply Southern’ to reflect the values of a southern lifestyle, where things run a little slower and you are always there to help your neighbor.
The relationship between Bald Head Island Conservancy and Simply Southern began in 2018. Simply Southern launched their “Save the Turtles” t-shirt initiative at the January market that gave a percentage of each tee shirt sold towards Sea Turtle Protection efforts. They were already supporting N.E.S.T (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles) up at the OBX. At the same time, Pam Smith, our current Director of Retail Operations, walked by their temporary display in one of the buildings at the Atlanta Apparel Mart. She glimpsed at all of the adorable sea turtle merchandise and instinctively turned back to find out more! She spoke to a gentleman in the booth who was very helpful and helped her place her first order. She started to talk about the Conservancy and handed him a business card and asked about the program; little did she know she was speaking to the owner and an instant relationship began and has developed over the years.
Simply Southern has been such a great supporter of the Conservancy for the past 3 years and their owner is now on our Board of Directors. Simply Southern is passionate about the Conservancy’s mission and loves to help and donate however they can. They have traveled to our island three times for special events and held an island clean-up this past summer. They donated custom t-shirts made just for us in exchange for trash picked up on the island. It was a huge success and we plan to do more in the future. We are so grateful for our relationship with Simply Southern and are so happy they choose to partner with us in protecting our sea turtles and helping to conserve this beautiful island paradise.
