Founded by Sam Contorno and his son, Mike, in May of 1978, Sam's was the original tackle store and more than a tackle store in Orange Beach. Located on the eastern end of Highway 180 (two miles east of Doc's Seafood Shack), the store is adjacent to the community on the Bear Point peninsula. There is one road in and one road out the Canal Road (180). When Sam's opened its doors thirty years ago, it was the only store in the area; the nearest grocery store was north of the Intracoastal Waterway in Foley, Alabama. There were few, if any, gas stations in Orange Beach, and if you just needed something as ordinary as a cooking pot or a loaf of bread, you had to make the trek westward or north to Foley. The Contorno's changed all that by opening the store in Orange Beach that has a little bit of everything.

When Sam's opened, Orange Beach was home to a small, yet dedicated, group of charter fishing Captains and operators who carried visitors fishing in the fertile waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For this reason, the Contorno's made sure that their store was stocked to the hilt with everything the local fishermen could possibly need, from cigar minnows for bait to hooks to marine hardware. Over the years, this dedication to serving the local fishermen helped Sam's to develop a loyal following of customers who shop the store nearly every day. To this day, visitors from all over the U.S. come to Sam's for many reasons, most notably product selection, fair prices, a friendly atmosphere, and a helpful staff who make it their business to see that you are satisfied no matter why you came in to begin with.

Since the store opened, Mr. Sam Contorno has passed, and the daily operations of the store are now under the constant oversight of his son, Mike, Mike's partner and nephew, Steve Russo, and Steve's brothers Joe and Mark. This family is part of the fabric of Orange Beach and its rich history, and their dedication to making a visitors stay in the town memorable is known far and wide.