GIFT FOR HIM AND HER
Stantt and Salvage Sacs
T
he story of Salvage Sacs begins when Stacey Skordas cleaned her house and dug up an old handbag made from a towel. It was designed by a friend of a friend who made them for living, but had since gone out of business. The cross between a towel and a bag was an idea that Stacey simply could not let die. For the past year, Stacey has been keeping this idea alive with her new business, Salvage Sacs. At Salvage Sacs, Stacey takes vintage towels and turns them into bags that are perfect for taking to the pool or the beach. All of Stacey’s bags are handmade using a variety of towels including retro printed, terry cloth and designer towels. She mixes an array of designs and fabrics to create bags that are unique and original. It takes about four or five towels to make each bag and they come in two different sizes. Stacey never makes two of the same bags, so anything purchased from her will be one of a kind. In addition to being unique and fashionable, they are also designed for practicality. The inside of the bag is lined with plastic in order to keep the user’s belongings dry. Also, rather than being just a single pouch, the bags also have additional compartments that are perfect for storing sunscreen and other beach related items.
Stacey makes about twenty bags per week. She is constantly collecting towels to use to make more bags. For promotion, she goes to a lot of trunk shows. She’s been to Rye, Scarsdale and Olive and Bette’s in New York City. Although, her bags are really popular in the Hamptons, people all over the country buy them. Stacey is already thinking about scaling her business to the masses and her bags will soon be available in Europe. Growth is something that is constantly on Stacey’s mind as she truly believes in the power of this idea. In addition to beach bags, she plans to add camera bags, knapsacks, messenger bags and more. Despite all the potential for growth, Stacey still makes all her bags by hand and puts a strong amount of effort and love into each one. “I really feel like I give birth to bags, and then I give them up for adoption.” There needs to be a good degree of passion for a creative project like this, and Stacey brings it 100 percent. Although towels and bags used to be seen as two separate things, the line between them is starting to blur and they are ready to take the world by storm. salvagesacs.com
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