|
ABOUT US
bonniebag.com is the creation of Bonnie Reilly
and husband Dennis. This effort we hope will allow
us to better communicate with the ever growing number
of our repeat customers. Thank You! We really appreciate
your business.
We've been in the business of sewing things for over
30 years. We began in the early 1970's with several
other people designing and developing some of the
first soft body armor (bullet- proof vests) worn by
American law enforcement officers. After a successful
15 year stint in the vest business we decided to re-prioritize
and took our two teenaged sons Jeff & Richard
out of high school (They did a correspondence course
on the trip) and went sailing for 18 months on our
boat "Argonauta". The trip took us from
Traverse City, Michigan down the Great Lakes, out
the Erie Barge Canal, Down the East Coast to the Bahamas
and then back to Traverse City. This trip with our
boys was a major highlight in our lives and a nice
transition from rat race to self - fulfillment.
bonniebag.com is the latest generation of
the canvas business Canvas Etc. we started in St.
Petersburg, Fl. in 1991. Our original intent was to
"do something fun with boats" for a living.
At Canvas Etc. we had a promotional devise. When we
did a canvas job we would deliver the customers final
bill in a "complementary" boat bag, made
of the fabric specified for the job. The idea of course
was to promote more canvas work. We began, however,
receiving quite a few requests for additional bags.
We would hear things like "I love this bag, I
know it was a thank you for my business, but would
you sell me one for my sister", or our all time
favorite "my mother stole my bag could I buy
another one".
A light went on and we decided to design and produce
a line of colorful nautical bags that sold like crazy
to our canvas customers and local gift shops. It was
about then Bonnie decided she would much rather design
and produce bags than, "hang off of tuna towers"
for a living. The bag business continued to grow.
In 1995, we closed the boat canvas shop and devoted
all our energies to the expanding bag business. We
believe the overwhelming success that our bags have
had is primarily due to two factors. The first is
our uncompromising dedication to the purchase and
use of only the best grade of material and fabrics.
Second is our refusal to use "state of the art"
(read cheaper to produce) production techniques. All
of our seams are double sewn and bound (with binding
not surged). All of our fabric and materials are hand-laid,
hand measured and hand cut. This uncompromising attention
to detail, design and function make our bag more costly
to produce. However, the difference is apparent and
striking. Fortunately for us, our astute customers
see, appreciate and are willing to pay for the quality
they receive with each and every bonniebag™.
Back To Bag Styles
|
Secure Shopping