Life is Good Saratoga is officially open and ready to bring their positive message and apparel to the Spa City. (Emma Ralls – Medianews Group)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — A familiar face is back on Broadway as of July 1. Life is Good Saratoga is officially open and ready to spread the “Power of Optimism” to the Spa City.
John Nemjo, owner of the new Life is Good store, said it feels like a return to his roots. Nemjo is also the owner of Saratoga Outdoors, which originally started as a Life is Good store when it opened on Broadway in 2008 under the name “Just Plain Good.”
“We had Just Plain Good, but then we added more and pushed Life is Good a little bit and it got smaller, but it’s always been a really popular brand for us,” Nemjo said. “We felt like it was time to give it its own space again.”
Life is Good was one of their top selling brands, the second largest brand according to Nemjo, and Saratoga Outdoor customers wanted more but didn’t have the space. By opening this location next to Saratoga Outdoors, they can make more Life is Good products available to the community and showcase more of what the brand has to offer.
“We’re just really excited about expanding our business here and with it being so close, it couldn’t be easier,” Nemjo said. “I’m really excited about the management team that I have, we’ve got brilliant people working for us and we’re really happy to be here.”
Elise Porter, who has been with Saratoga Outdoors since 2019, is the manager of Life is Good Saratoga and said she is looking forward to taking the lead.
“I’m excited to see how it comes together when it’s all done, and what it can become and evolve,” Porter said. “Not only to see what we can do with other brands, but what we can do with Life is Good, because they have so many things and they change every year and just to see where everything can go and how far we can take it.”
The store had a very quick turnaround, it took about three weeks to get to a point where they could open the store and welcome the community. Porter said she was proud of not only all the hard work everyone put into getting the store up and running, but also the fact that they were able to spread the message behind Life is Good.
“Life is Good is a positive brand, it’s about spreading joy and kindness to all and bringing that back to Saratoga is really cool,” Porter said. “Giving it (the store) its own space so it can do what it does and spread kindness is really exciting.”
According to Nemjo, the community is just as excited about Life is Good coming to Broadway as they were about the store opening.
“As soon as we put the sign up, people started talking about it and taking pictures and telling their friends,” Nemjo said. “Our business is a destination in Saratoga and while we certainly welcome tourists, we are very much focused on locals. We are a destination and we are going to bring new business to this end of Broadway.”
“We think this is definitely the coolest end of Broadway. These are the more independent shops and I think we have a variety of different things. We’re just happy to be a part of the overall business community of downtown Saratoga Springs, and especially on this end, we have some great businesses on this end of the street.
There’s still a lot of work to do, like bringing in more merchandise, dressing the place up with more Life is Good materials and graphics, and some other behind-the-scenes work – but that can all be done while serving the community and being open for business.
“We still have a lot of work to do and we’re not 100% where we need to be, but summer is coming,” Nemjo said. “We opened on July 1st and this is a brand that we can sell all year round, but especially in the summer months, so we wanted to open the store and take advantage of this full summer season.”
Life is Good Saratoga is open daily from 10am to 8pm at 486 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. For more information, visit www.lifeisgoodsaratoga.com or visit their Instagram or Facebook.
The new Life is Good store is located at 486 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. (Emma Ralls – Medianews Group) 
Life is Good hopes to lift the spirits of shoppers and put a smile on their faces as they browse the plethora of merchandise, including shirts, hats and more. (Emma Ralls – Medainews Group)
