Handbags replace backpacks for fashion-conscious students
Laura Hodgdon
Two Christmases ago, Erin Strachan, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, received one gift from her aunt that she will never forget. She was expecting something ordinary yet appealing, but when she opened the present she was a little more than disgusted.
“I thought it was the most god-awful, ugly and gross thing I had ever seen,” says Strachan. “I did some research online to find out where I could return it, and finally found a store that would give me store credit for the $75 Vera Bradley bag.”
Surprisingly enough, Strachan has had a change of heart and is now seen strolling around campus with a Nantucket Navy Vera tote, carrying her notebooks to and from class.
“My aunt kept buying me Vera and I felt bad returning everything. They finally grew on me, but it’s just funny that I hated them before the trend started,” says Strachan.
Since their conception in 1982, Vera Bradley bags were once thought to attract our grandmothers, but today these so-called granny bags are flying off the shelves, and a large number of their buyers are young women.
Soft, quilted, and available in various styles and colors, these durable, light weight, and functional bags have made a complete 360 and are especially popular among college and high-school-aged students. Whether it is a bright pink tote or an apple green duffle bag, these bags have inspired a new trend that has kept their creators, Patricia Miller and Barbara Baekgaard, in business.
While on vacation, life-long friends Miller and Baekgaard noticed the lack of attractive and feminine luggage while in the airport. Soon after, with $500 and a knack for fashion design, Vera Bradley (named after Barbara’s mother) was born, and began marketing and manufacturing the first products in Barbara’s basement, according to the SCORE business advice website.
As the demand grew, the two entrepreneurs needed to extend their line from their home to major markets. After developing a business plan through SCORE, Miller and Baekgaard persevered, and in just three years the company topped one million dollars in sales, and has been growing ever since.
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
