handmade urban leather handbags and jewelry
I have this memory from when I was a kid, of me going to one of my brother's baseball games. Although baseball games were quite common for my family, on this day in particular I had gone to great lengths to prepare a collection of colorful woven friendship bracelets to sell to my friends. I meticulously documented each color and how many I had made in a little notebook and went around the park presenting my handmade wares. Although I don't remember selling anything that day, probably eight-year-olds don't have a lot of money, the day I remembered this event, this blip in time from an average day, was the day I realized that I had selected the right path for myself. I want to be someone who creates exciting things to share with people, it's what I've always done.
Permanent Baggage started in 2007 as a public art project while I attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. More than fifteen years later and though the products have changed quite a bit, the name has stuck and I create a range of products from leather and brass jewelry, to leather accessories and hand painted leather bags.
Materials have always inspired me, especially with my background in sculpture. I love being able to get my hands on something with weight and density and be able to form the material into something new and unexpected. These are many of the reasons why I gravitate towards leather and fiber arts- specifically in the realm of women's accessories.
In November of 2015, with the help of Etsy Fund, my husband and I opened an artist consignment boutique which also housed our leather and metal sculpture studios, in the Brady Street area of Milwaukee, WI. What was originally intended as a holiday pop-up turned into a full time operating studio/boutique- thanks to the incredible support from the surrounding community. We ran the studio/boutique and hosted artist events until 2019 when we moving our studios and young family to a bit more of a country life, just north of the city. We thank our lucky stars for the timing as we had comfortably transitioned to the new space only six months before covid froze the retail landscape. As with most handmade businesses post-covid, we're still working out what our new best direction is but I believe it lies somewhere in creating things that are truly unique, teasing out my own twist from a trend, continuing to develop MY signature style and creating items that are greatly potent and adored.
