About Us | Simple Life Seattle

Since 1992, Simple Life has been more than a clothing boutique. It has been a place where women come to discover clothing that feels beautiful, comfortable, and true to who they are.

The Simple Life team walking together at Pike Place Market in Seattle, with the Public Market Center sign behind them — Two blocks from Pike Place Market — our location has always been part of our story.

Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, just two blocks from Pike Place Market, Simple Life has grown through decades of relationships—with designers, with our team, and most importantly, with the women who have walked through our doors.

Our philosophy is simple:

The clothes are the medium. You are the story.

We don't believe clothing should change who you are.

We believe it should help you express who you already are.

The right color. The right shape. The right fabric. The unexpected detail.

Sometimes, one piece can make you look in the mirror and think:

“That's me.”

That's what we look for at Simple Life.

Not simply clothes that look beautiful on a hanger, but pieces that help a woman see herself—her personality, her confidence, her beauty, and her individuality.

We don't dress you to become someone else. We help you express who you already are.

Our Story Began in 1992

Simple Life's story began in Seattle in 1992, when the boutique first opened its doors under the name Passport.

In 2002, the store came under new ownership and became Simple Life, beginning a new chapter while preserving the spirit of an independent Seattle boutique.

In 2018, another important chapter began when Pamela became the owner of Simple Life, bringing a fresh vision while honoring the history, relationships, and community that had made the boutique special for so many years.

For more than three decades, Simple Life has called downtown Seattle home.

Just two blocks from Pike Place Market, our location has always been part of our story—connecting us with generations of local customers as well as women visiting Seattle from around the world.

Different chapters. Same spirit.

The Art of Curation

We don't choose clothing simply because it is fashionable.

We take our time.

Our collections are selected thoughtfully, often well before they arrive in the store. We spend time with our designers looking carefully at colors, styles, patterns, textures, fabrics, silhouettes, and details.

A buying appointment with a designer can take three to four hours.

We look at the collection from every angle and ask ourselves:

Will our customers love this?

Will she feel good wearing it?

Does it have something special?

Does it belong at Simple Life?

Many of our designer relationships have lasted for years. We value that trust and the creativity behind each collection.

We don't try to follow every trend.

We look for pieces that have character, quality, and a feeling that makes us want to share them with our customers.

Sometimes it's the fabric.

Sometimes it's a color.

Sometimes it's a pattern, a silhouette, or an unexpected detail.

And sometimes, it's simply a feeling.

We trust that feeling.

The People Behind the Boutique

Meet the Team

Pamela

Owner

Sometimes life brings us exactly where we are meant to be.
My journey with Simple Life began long before I became its owner.

In 2013, I came to the United States from Peru, leaving behind a life, a career, and everything that was familiar to me.

I arrived in a new country where I didn't speak English and had to begin again.

For me, it felt like being born again and learning everything from the beginning.

That same year, I joined Simple Life as a salesperson.

When Viola, the owner of Simple Life at the time, interviewed me, she told me:

“You don't need to talk much. You just need to have a very good attitude, take good care of our customers, and you will learn quickly.”

She was right.

I learned English while working at Simple Life. But I learned much more than a language. I learned how to connect with customers, how to listen to what women were looking for, and what it takes to create a boutique where people feel welcome.

A Small Moment I Will Never Forget

I still remember one moment from those early days.

A customer was buying some clothes and asked me for scissors so she could cut the tag.

I knew what scissors were, but at that time I wasn't yet familiar enough with English to immediately understand the word.

She noticed my confusion and moved her fingers like scissors.

Suddenly, I understood.

I apologized and told her I was still learning English.

She looked at me and said:

“Don't apologize. At least you speak two languages. I only speak one.”

I have never forgotten those words.

They reminded me that learning something new is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sometimes, starting over is simply another way of growing.

A Dream of My Own

In 2015, I left Simple Life to open and run a small boutique of my own in Pike Place Market.

It was an important step in my life. I wanted to take everything I had learned and experience what it meant to run a store myself.

Before I left, I had a private conversation with Viola that I would never forget.

I told her that I knew that one day, when her husband retired, she might move to Florida. I said:

“Viola, when that time comes, if you ever decide to sell the store, please keep me in mind as the first person you think of.”

I didn't know then how meaningful those words would become.

In December 2017, around Christmas, Viola called me.

She was ready to sell Simple Life.

She wanted to talk to me.

For me, that phone call felt like a blessed Christmas gift.

In 2018, I became the owner of Simple Life.

Looking Back

When I look back at my journey, I realize that I could never have planned it this way.

Life brought me to the United States.

Simple Life gave me a place to learn and begin again.

Opening my own boutique gave me the courage to build something of my own.

And eventually, life brought me back to where my story had started.

I am a lawyer with a Master’s degree in Business Law, but some of my greatest lessons have come from life, from people, and from the women I have had the privilege of meeting through Simple Life.

And perhaps that is why I understand something about the women who walk through our doors.

We are all becoming.
We all have different stories.

Different lives.

Different dreams.

Different chapters.

Sometimes we feel confident. Sometimes we are starting over. Sometimes we are simply looking for something that makes us feel a little more like ourselves.

That's what I want Simple Life to be.

A place where you can walk in, be yourself, try something new, look in the mirror, and see you.

Not someone else.

You.

Why I Do What I Do

Today, I don't see Simple Life as simply a place to sell clothes.

I see it as a place where women can discover something about themselves.

I want to help each woman find the colors, shapes, fabrics, patterns, and pieces that make her feel comfortable, confident, beautiful, and completely herself.

Sometimes I may encourage a woman to try something she would never have chosen on her own.

Not to make her someone else.

But to help her see more of who she already is.

Because when a woman feels good in what she wears, something changes.

She stands a little taller.

She smiles differently.

She feels more like herself.

And that's what I want.

I don't believe clothes are meant to change who you are.

The Clothes Are the Medium. You Are the Story.

And if we can help you feel a little more confident, a little more beautiful, and a little more like yourself when you walk out our door, then we have done what we came here to do.

It's not just what you wear. It's how you feel.
Enjoy Life & Keep It Simple.

Erica

Team Member

Some people become part of your story long before you realize how important they will become.

Erica first became part of the Simple Life story in 2015, when Pamela took over Earth Wind & Fire, an established boutique in Pike Place Market that had been part of the Market since 1982. The previous owner was ready to retire and entrusted the boutique to Pamela.

That was an important chapter in Pamela's journey—and it was also where Erica became part of it.

From the beginning, Erica stood out. She has an artistic spirit, a natural eye for style, and a genuine ability to connect with people.

When Pamela's journey later brought her back to Simple Life, Erica eventually joined her there.

And she has been an important part of the Simple Life family ever since.

Erica has a wonderful ability to see what works—not only as a beautiful piece of clothing, but as something that feels right for the woman wearing it.

She listens. She pays attention. And she often sees possibilities that a customer may not have discovered for herself.

Our customers love Erica because she is warm, genuine, and easy to talk to. She never makes a woman feel like she needs to become someone else. She simply helps her discover what feels like her.

That's what makes Erica so special to Simple Life.
Her creativity, kindness, and genuine love of people have become an important part of the experience we want every woman to have when she walks through our doors.

We are grateful that Erica became part of our story all those years ago—and even more grateful that she continues to be part of the Simple Life family today.

Tammy

Team Member

Nineteen years is more than a job. It's a relationship with a community.

Tammy has been an important part of Simple Life for 19 years, becoming one of the familiar faces and trusted members of our boutique.

Over the years, she has gotten to know generations of Simple Life customers—their personalities, their style, the things they love, and sometimes even the pieces they never imagined they would choose for themselves.

Tammy has a natural ability to make people feel comfortable and welcome. She takes the time to listen, understand what a woman is looking for, and help her find something that feels right.

For many of our customers, seeing Tammy at Simple Life is like seeing an old friend.

Her experience, warmth, and genuine care for people are a meaningful part of what makes Simple Life feel personal—not simply like a place to shop, but like a place where you are known and welcomed.

Nineteen years of memories, relationships, and helping women feel good in what they wear.
We are grateful for everything Tammy has brought to Simple Life—and for the many women whose lives she has touched along the way.