I thought I would share with you my trip from Sanibel Island last week. IT WAS FABULOUS! I mean it was actually BEYOND fabulous! I was invited to go down and stay with my girlfriend SheShe from @shesheshow. We have traveled extensively together, so I’m sure you’ve probably seen some of those trips…… Canyon Ranch, Italy, Colorado, Quebec, Boston, Santa Fe, and New York among others. We definitely JIVE!!!
While we were there, we worked for a full day with CHICOS, our most favorite brand. We both started with Chicos over four years ago and have been working with them since. They are such an amazing brand in how they have supported us, along with ALL WOMEN! They listen, they act, they come through, they are awesome! Our day with them was Wednesday. We met early at the original CHICOS on Sanibel Island. This store has quite the history with some of the original furniture pieces and the actual face of the main counter as you walk in.
The first Chicos store was actually in the garage of the owners, Marvin and Helene Gralnick in the early 80’s. They met while living in Mexico and opened a tiny folk art gift shop on Sanibel Island. They named it Folk Art Specialties FAS, and later changed it to Chicos after a friend’s parrot, CHICO.
That’s where we met as we went LIVE on Instagram with Dena, who has managed this store for over 30 years. She explained while on air, all of the cool details of the store AND the brand! We also showed some new arrivals along with the new SOMA section upstairs, which is new in the last month or so. Soma Intimates is part of Chicos, and carries THE BEST bras, undies, and jammies.
The audience loved it!!! You can watch it right here with this link! So many of Chicos LOYAL customers dream about visiting the original store, and so this was a great inside look to all the fun! Afterwards we were treated to lunch with Kristen, Jennifer, and Marissa who all work in the PR side of the company. It was an AWESOME lunch meeting. Can’t wait to share with you what’s coming down the line with CHICOS. So many BEAUTIFUL THINGS!
We then went to Chicos headquarters in Fort Meyer, and met with Molly, the CEO of Chicos. She was dressed to the 9’s IN THIS and THIS! Oh my heavens….. pictures don’t do it justice! It’s from Chicos and comes in PINK too! Again our meeting with her was absolutely fabulous as we talked ALL THINGS CHICOS! She was just LOVELY to us and is so right for the brand!
Then we went and met Barclay, and went LIVE on Facebook for about an hour. Barclay is over all the design and styling of the stores, etc. He knows his stuff and has wonderful STYLE himself! He was so much fun to work with! The point of Facebook Live, was to show THREE different ways to style an item. Those items were the white denim skirt, the linen tunic, and the open-stitch sweater! It was super fun to show and discuss how we each styled them and WHY. The audience ate it up and appreciated showing ALL KINDS OF WAYS to style the CHICOS brand!
You can watch the FACEBOOK LIVE show HERE where we share all of our styling tips on each piece.
Needless to say, we were exhausted afterwards! It was a FULL DAY but one that was SO MUCH FUN!!! WE LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT! The next day we went back to Chicos and visited again on our own, thanking Dena and her crew once again for their hospitality!
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My trip to Sanibel Island actually started with SheShe! My time staying with her was the best! She was so hospitable and I ALWAYS feel welcome in her home! Our friendship is undeniable and we could talk FOREVER! We get each other! We spent lots of time shooting pics for our blogs, for LillaP, and for Chicos. We chilled, we ate, and of course talked BUSINESS! Our time together always goes too fast! We couldn’t believe it when Friday came and it was time for me to fly home.
This was our LillaP shot, that was taken at the Bubble Room on Captiva Island. They are known for their desserts, and I didn’t even get one….. next time though. Captiva Island is magical with ALL KINDS OF COLOR EVERYWHERE! It’s a blogger’s playground for photo shoots!
I have more coming, so stay tuned. The shot above was one of the looks I modeled on Facebook Live…. the linen tunic. I chose to tuck mine in, but this shirt is a staple and perfect for the beach or poolside! And the shorts are a blast, very flattering with a hidden elastic band in back! They will be going golfing with me for sure!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my trip to Sanibel Island. I can’t wait to go back and hope to share more FUN with you from this GORGEOUS place in Florida. Girlfriend time is so healthy and essential to one’s well being. SheShe and me always do love our time together and hope that there’s MUCH MUCH MORE in the future!
Until next time……….
Shauna XO
My mother and her next door neighbor, both widows and best friends loved Chico’s. They would frequent the Naples Florida store at least every 2 weeks. They used to go dancing with the seniors every weekend. It was adorable how glammed up they would get and they both looked so lovely. A few years went by and mom and her bestie came to visit me in Illinois. It was kind of a dreary day so I asked them if they wanted to go to Chico’s to shop. It was hilarious how utterly excited they both were. Like they won the lottery. I think of that dear memory every time I shop there. Mom is gone now for a few years but her bestie still dances. ❤️
Susan….. THIS is so beautiful! THANK YOU for sharing! Chicos has a way of making us women feel our best! It makes me HAPPY that you have such fond memories of her when you visit a CHICOS store! BLESS YOU with loads of memories of your sweet mother! XO
We spend several winter month in FL each year and do get to Sanibel from time to time. How did I not know that the first Chico’s shop was there? Thanks for the lovey post and so happy you got to visit and work with your friend. Shared interests always make it better. 🙂
June yes….. next time you go, make sure you go visit their store there. It has so many fun tidbits about it, that I’m sure they would share with you! Take care and THANK YOU for stopping by!!!! XO
Wow Shauna Chico’s is lucky to have you! Seeing how you style their clothes causes me to consider them, as browsing through the online catalog or looking at your links below the pose , I would think not for me. Thank you so much! So happy you had some healing girlfriend time after the sadness you’ve recently endured. Blessings to you girl!
Sandi….. what a sweet SWEET comment….. thank you! I’ve really LOVED my relationship with Chicos, not only for their support, but their FUN AND COLOR! Thanks again for stopping by and hope to see you very soon! XO
I also live in Florida and have enjoyed being so close to the beach. I am so surprised Shauna can shop at Chico’s.
I am 5′ 2″ tall and wear a size 2 or a 4. I’ve tried many times over the years when shopping with friends at Chico’s to find something to fit me. One time I found a cute top in a size OO that fit, and that is the only time. Why do they do the sizing this way?! I think it’s so odd.
Good to see you and your friend enjoyed Sanibel Island. They have a lot of fun boutiques and some good restaurants there. I like the bracelet you posted. 🙂
Hello Jo….. I do wear the smallest sizing in Chicos brand, and often when they have something in petites, I will get that. They do carry 000 which is what I usually wear. I know they are busy working on improving with smaller sizing! Sanibel Island is really so fun….. I sure do enjoy my time there. Take care and THANK YOU for your input! XO
You two are absolutely adorable!! Love the clothes, colors, and how you style the pieces is so helpful to me. I’m like ok, everything has to be one color?? No!! Your bold with styling different patterns together and colors I’ve never used together, and …… i love it!!!! Thank you to you both! To have a beautiful, loyal precious friend like Sheshe is truly a gift!!! And you a gift to her! Thanks again 💕
Hey Sally! THANK YOU sweet friend! I do have a great time styling my Chicos pieces! They are vibrant and cheerful! And my friendship with SheShe is truly PRICELESS!!!!!! Take care girl! XO
Shauna you didn’t happen to be on Hilton Head Island recently?
Becky no not recently. The last time I was there was about ten years ago at a tennis tournament! It’s beautiful though!!!! Have a nice weekend!!!! XO