Yes, Virginia, there was a Vera Bradley. But no, she's not directly responsible for the pretty new store at The Greene that's filled with hundreds of colorful cotton handbags bearing her name.
That credit really belongs to two friends -- Barbara Baekgaard and Patricia Miller -- who were waiting to board a flight in Atlanta in the early 1980s, looked around and determined that women travelers needed some pretty and feminine travel pieces. Their little company was named for Baekgaard's mother, now deceased.
Today the quilted empire, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., has grown to include everything from an extensive line of the popular patterned handbags to travel accessories and limited-edition lines -- Dimmable LED Down Light K1004 - 3x1W / 3x3W beach, sport and pet collections. Vera Bradley licensed products now also include tableware, furniture, rugs and linens, as well as rolling luggage, stationery and eyewear.
Today there are lunch bags and sandals, racquet covers and golf gloves, duffels and shoe bags. You'll find the products at a number of gift shops and boutiques in our area including Occasionally Yours at The Mall at Fairfield Commons. The line has done so well there that owners Jean and Todd Bettman decided to open a Signature Vera Bradley store at The Greene, across from Books & Co. Founder Pat Miller was in town for the opening.
Todd Bettman says sales at the new shop are running roughly double the projections; in its first two months of business, store sales ranked second out of Vera Bradley's six signature stores.
Bettman says customers come in all ages.
"We have three and four generations of families all carrying Vera Bradley," he says. "They may each carry a different style or a different pattern."
steel ringsBettman says high school and college girls go for the Hipster, Backpack and Messenger and carry their books in the Large Backpack. Young mothers like the Baby Bag and seniors like the Onthe-Go Bag.
"Other name- brand handbag lines are so expensive that you might only get one or two in a lifetime," says Bettman. "We call Vera Bradley 'everyday special,' because it's an affordable luxury."
You'll pay between $27-$90 for handbags, $13-$44 for accessories, making the line popular for gift-giving. All Vera Bradley bags are lightweight and washable. Most feature colorful patterns, although there are also black microfiber styles. Bettman says a new line of denim bags will be introduced in mid-April.
The company -- founded and run by women -- is once again featuring breast cancer awareness patterns, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation. They've raised an excess of $10 million and sponsor the chair of
embroidered patches gynecologic oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or .
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