OHM Sweet OHM
This Boutique on Sunset is Now Nearly a Decade Old, and Still in Style
By Kim Rodriguez // Photos by Lizzie Wilcox
April 2020
Somewhere in the crossover between comfort and New Age is the stylistic sensibility that has driven Vanessa Sauma’s shop on Sunset Drive for the last decade. Here, on the cusp of Coral Gables, she has pursued her vision of boho chic in a shop that has never changed location (though it has grown in size).
Sauma is the sole owner of OHM, but she relies on her team to help create the OHM effect. A believer in positive energy, she keeps a note on the cash register that says “smile” to remind them that a grin goes a long way when a customer (or a sales person) is having a bad day.
The store is filled with the boho-esque styles and color palettes that the OHM brand stands for – think free flowing fashions, with natural fabrics and earthy tones.
This spring the flow will continue with dresses of all lengths; you can find easy casual day dresses in bright prints as well as your go-to evening apparel. If pants are more your style you will find palazzo pants, paper bag trousers, and always lots of denim.
OHM also carries several local bathing suit designer labels and all the accessories you need for a day at the beach. Some of the brands she carries are Pistola jeans, Quay sunglasses, Kaari swim, Elan, and Olivacious. The price points are very affordable, with almost everything under $100.
“We’ve managed to dress the 20-something-year-old, her mom, and her grandma,” says Sauma. “If chic, easy, boho style pieces are what you’re into, you’ll find something at OHM.”
For founder Sauma, OHM is a dream come true. Always a fashion junkie as a kid, during high school at St. Brendan and college at Miami International University of Art & Design (aka the Miami Art Institute) she worked in several local boutiques in sales and management. When she turned 22 she and one of her brothers, with the support of their parents, opened their retail store on Sunset.
It was a family project from the very beginning. Her parent’s loan and the help of four siblings enabled Sauma to get the doors open in just five weeks. “Being born and raised in this area I knew our little corner was just meant to be,” she says. “I’ve always loved shopping in the Coral Gables and South Miami areas, and knew when I started my business that I wanted to be a part of this exact community.”
Sauma clearly loves what she does, and with her team has created a special place at OHM – relaxed, fun, and friendly. No hard sell, lots of customer service, and they will even recommend other local boutiques if you can’t find it at OHM.
And if you can’t visit, go to ohmboutique.com.
Kim Rodriguez is a personal shopper whose clients include many Coral Gables residents. krpersonalstyle.com