Our Story

Born and raised in Manhattan like the company she heads, Barbara  Freeman recognized her love of retail at a young age, when she would shop the fabled NYC department stores with her mother, taking note of inventory, assortments, displays and featured trend items. The idea that each retailer had a story – a point of view – greatly influenced Barbara and when she decided to launch Simply Down, she knew that her company’s narrative would be luxury meets responsible sourcing. That something could be unbelievably beautiful and luxurious yet created with accountability and sensitivity to wholesome resources appealed to Barbara, who instantly knew she had a winner and began to sketch out and conceptualize her unique product, introducing her line to a market saturated with inferior merchandise. 

Along the way to Simply Down, Barbara logged time at venerable home resources including Bloomingdales, ABC Carpet & Home and Nancy Koltes Fine Linens, developing a finely honed skill of selecting patterns, colors, fabrics, furniture and all things home décor to recommend to her clientele, always going for “timeless over trends.” Following a 2001 stint overseeing the Down Comforter and Pillow Shop at ABC, she worked with management to transform the shop into its current incarnation. Simply Down at ABC, now at both the flagship store in Manhattan and Brooklyn locations.