OK, so it didn’t actually take three years to make our Watercolors resort totes. We did, however, spend three years researching, testing, working with vendors, finding new vendors, exploring materials, evaluating what feels like a million different handbags…that last part didn’t feel like work at all!
John: “Maybe you could go check out a few…”
Me: Makes a quick u-turn and heads for the closest store with handbags.
My already-voluminous collection of bags (I have bags ranging from my mom’s 1940s beaded evening purses to $5 leopard-print totes picked up at thrift stores to…well, you name it, I’ve probably got it. Bags are my thing).
Anyway, when we started out in June of 2018, the world, of course, looked much different. Then, probably midway through 2020, we shifted our focus. What the world needs, we thought was…happy. Bright. Vibrant. Colorful. Easy.
And thus, the Watercolors line of resort totes was born. Our vendors sighed as we dragged everyone back to the drawing board.
Finally, in December of 2020, we picked up our first “production” line of bags. I say “production” in quotes because it was a mini-run; just a couple of bags in each color to test (and test, and test, and test). We kept a few in John’s gallery to get feedback from locals, and I carried each color (one at a time, of course), switching to another color after about a month of use. We needed to ensure that the bags would hold up, of course, but we were also interested in some mini-market feedback. Happily, no matter which one I carried, people loved the bags.
I remember that December day like it was yesterday. John and I met at our bag maker’s, John in his SUV (thank goodness) and me in my convertible (fun, but not particularly practical to haul such precious and momentous cargo). It was SO exciting.
John carefully packed the bags into his car while I cheered him on (that’s another one of my jobs. Actually, it’s both our jobs – when you’ve known each other as long as we have, we each instinctively know when the other could use a little lift. It’s awesome.).
We drove off separately, and a little while later either John called me or I called him, just because we were so excited.
“I’m at a Dunkin’ near my place,” said John. “I had to stop; I was starving.”
“I’m at a Dunkin’ too!” I exclaimed. See? Soulmates.
John got the bags safely to his gallery and sent me the photo below. The bags looked beautiful in his gallery.
Anyway…that was a little over a year ago. You may have heard that, um, there are some “supply chain” issues. They affect not just goods coming from overseas; they affect everyone. So between that, and the testing, and world affairs in general, well, here we are, just a little over a year later, finally, finally ready to go!
In the meantime, people have been stopping by John’s gallery, often because they spotted these gorgeous totes from the sidewalk. Some of them have found new homes, but we’ve still got some left.
We’re gearing up for another production run shortly. But in the meantime, this is your chance to grab a gorgeous Watercolors resort tote from our very first set of bags.
Quantities are very limited, so be sure to get your order in soon!
Let us know what you think:
- Which one is your favorite color?
- Where’s the first place you’d carry this bag?
As always, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment on this post, drop us a line at info@spectacularbags.com, or leave a comment on our Facebook page or Instagram feed.