Simply White Bridal brings modern elegance to the neighborhood

When Ellie Bertsch first announced the opening of her Larkfield Road bridal shop on social media, she was overwhelmed with well-wishes from local residents looking forward to supporting her new business. Welcome to the neighborhood, people exclaimed.

Ellie however, knew the neighborhood well. She moved to East Northport four years ago with her husband, Thomas. Their son will be a second grader at Pulaski Road Elementary School in September, and their daughter a kindergartner. The family lives a two-minute walk away from Simply White Bridal, the boutique Ellie officially opened at the end of June.

Keeping the business local was important to the Bertsch family.

Together, the couple hopes to help brighten a stretch of road in East Northport that has, more recently, received negative attention for an influx of smoke shops in the area. Ellie and Thomas see Simply White as a destination and think that the more people invest in a variety of businesses on Larkfield Road, the more they can inspire others to do the same. A modern and elegant bridal shop might motivate someone to open, for example, a European-style cafe down the block, Thomas said.

So far, passersby like what they see. “They’re just happy to see something new spring up on Larkfield Road,” said Thomas. “We want people to see something, even if they’re not going to come in and buy anything, at least it’s something they take pride in seeing when they pass it.”

An FIT graduate with a degree in fashion production and fashion merchandising, Ellie worked for 15 years in the bridal industry and retail world before officially launching her own business. She dreamed up her own bridal line straight out of college, interned for Badgley Mischka, even designed two bridal gowns she wore at her own wedding, one which she plans on putting on display in the store soon. In the next two years, Ellie hopes to get back to designing her own line again, and offering custom-made gowns to brides-to-be.

It’s a trajectory that began early in life, as the daughter of a single mom who sought out her own American dream.

Mother to five children including Ellie, Mireya Hernandez emigrated from the Dominican Republic to New York for a better life for her kids. She worked in a hair salon in the city until she was able to, along with Ellie’s stepfather, open up a hair salon on Long Island. Once established, Ellie’s mom brought her children over from DR (Ellie was seven), and with four decades of small business ownership now under her belt, continues to be a role model for Ellie.

“I always knew that I wanted to do more than just designing, I knew that I needed to be business savvy, I knew that the fashion industry was very fast forward but it was very important to me, especially coming from a mom who owns a business, to really understand the fundamental skills to run an actual production,” Ellie told the Journal.

She hopes to bring true customer service back to the gown selection experience at Simply White Bridal, a full-service shop that, in addition to carrying couture designers such as Lazaro and House of Harper, offers custom wedding veils, Bella Bell shoes, Ariel Taub accessories, gifts for the bride (think silk robes from Petite Plume) and customizable cocktail dresses from Chloe and Reese.

“What I love about all of these designers is that they’re not readily available on Long Island, so we’re the first ones to carry them. It’s just really bringing an awesome, classic look to the bridal industry,” Ellie said.

To further the experience, Ellie will offer styling services that bring her to events, from bridal parties to the wedding, to help keep the bride at ease “on the day of.”

It’s not even one month into this new venture, yet one can sense Ellie’s commitment to the industry, and her desire to cater to the individual needs of the clients who visit her store.

“It’s me, it’s my second home,” she said. “Starting a company from the ground up is not easy but when you have the passion and love for it… It just feels so good. It’s so rewarding.” She feels the timing of Simply White’s launch, though it may have taken a while, was perfect. January 2023 marked ten years since Ellie thought she’d make her mark in the industry. But life happened, and she had to prioritize her time to start a family, to find a home. She took on other employment, a part-time stint as store director with a major retailer that turned into a more demanding full-time role. And then, another shift. Ellie woke up one day and realized she was putting her heart and soul into a company that wasn’t hers. She made the difficult decision to leave, and hasn’t looked back.

It’s quite interesting how life just takes you back around,” she said. “I was able to do motherhood, which is so important to me, it was top of my priorities.” And now, a decade after she almost launched her own line, she’s finally doing it, Ellie said: “If you’re passionate about something and your goals and vision are there, it’s going to come back to you and it’s always going to come back to you at the best part of your life.”

Ellie and Thomas hope to create a local network by setting an example in the relationships they’re forging at Simply White; Ellie used neighboring businesses in the town of Huntington to build and furnish her store and promotes local businesses she has firsthand experiences with to her own clients.

“I’ve seen their work, so I can speak highly of it,” Ellie said. “To refer [another business] to a bride in such a special moment, I wanted it to be something and someone we have a connection with.”

And making connections is what the Bertsches believe will help their business, and Larkfield Road, succeed. People want to support local shops, and when the pride in a product is evident, and the service genuine, everything falls into place, said Thomas.

It’s a mindset Ellie hopes will keep them in the neighborhood for a very long time. “We’re not just a bridal shop, we’re the development of a brand, a concept,” she said. “It’s something we want to be a legacy for our kids as well. It may be just a small little bridal shop but a lot of great things are going to develop from here and create a better future for our kids and our family.”

Simply White Bridal is located at 82 Larkfield Road in East Northport. Book an appointment here or by calling 631-239-5397. Follow the shop on social media here.