Farewell Summer 2021: Beau Satchelle Reflections

This past weekend, I was standing in the checkout line behind a woman at an office supply store with her three young children who were enthusiastically helping her unload their cart. Mom was buying a ton of school supplies for her two eldest children (the youngest son was still a young toddler).

Her girls were bubbling with joy over their bounty, happily discussing with each other how much they couldn’t wait to return to school and use their newly purchased supplies.

I watched the entire scene play out thinking about those pure examples of Fall arriving… children preparing for a new school year, the last of the outdoor events such as state fairs and Labor Day festivities, college football and the change in wardrobes to accommodate cooler Autumn weather.

Summer gear is being stored away to be replaced by heavier clothing including several of Beau Satchelle’s accessory favorites: sexy yummy leather jackets and boots!

As we all increasingly venture out to rejoin workplaces and attend public events, the clothing and accessories industries want to take full advantage of consumers’ desire to shed at-home casual apparel in exchange for professional and after five attire.

The end of summer also brings a heightened awareness of more business news headlines and reports regarding the upcoming holiday season as retailers hope to top last year’s frenzied online purchases. Entrepreneurs had to abruptly pivot, pouring more resources into their digital operations, as consumers opened their wallets wider to buy online from businesses in their own backyard. We seemed to be more gift generous living through pandemic uncertainty and staying cautious by postponing family holiday gatherings and gift-giving traditions.

Small and large retailers are anticipating an increase in shoppers wanting to spend those discretionary dollars freely this year especially now that we’re quite comfortable with online purchasing.

It has been educational and exciting as we look back at our five years of blogging for and on Beau Satchelle, the luxury leather space, and all things bespoke to express our appreciation of the finer things in life.

I came across our blog written in December, 2016 that summarized what we had done for our inaugural year as a brand new small business and what we were looking forward to introducing in 2017.

For an emerging luxury business we are pleased to have met most of our initial 5 year goals yet it’s time to ramp up our goals in bigger and bolder ways.

Happily, we will never compete with our luxury peers with regards to mass producing leather accessories, yet we are positioning Beau Satchelle to take on more clients while maintaining our high standards.

To keep us accountable to those following our journey, let us summarize how the first half of 2021 impacted Beau Satchelle and a few goals we have set in place for the rest of the year.

Close to unveiling of our new e-commerce site

We are rapidly working to complete our e-commerce site that will offer a number of small leather goods (a range of wallets, jewelry, etc., along with select handbags and travel pieces that can be purchased and shipped immediately). Keep in mind, any of these goods can be personalized with the recipient’s initials embossed to distinguish your unique style.

Studio Renovation

The upgrades in our studio are coming along nicely as orders of new equipment and tools are being ordered and delivered. Our leather storage space is still being renovated to ensure a sterile environment for both raw materials and finished products ready for client delivery. Our studio is also being upgraded to include a permanent photography area for our e-commerce products.

We anticipate an increase in custom orders as the holiday season draws closer. So keep in mind…

Bespoke takes time. Production time for Beau Satchelle luxury goods will vary based on size, design intricacies, and degree of difficulty. An average size handbag can take from 25 to 40 hours of design and production time. This is why most projects are given a four to six weeks wait time and perhaps even longer during peak holiday seasons.

Introduction of new product prototypes and samples, and hardware tooling

Our latest collection series called the “Gino” is made from premium bridle leather and consists of three styles: a daily tote, a backpack and a messenger bag all which can be customized (leather and thread colors) to fit your perfect style.

Additionally, we are manufacturing several evening clutches made from different types of premium and exotic leathers to be displayed and sold at Hollywood celebrity and bridal gown designer RC Caylan’s Atelier in Grand Rapids, Michigan late Fall 2021.

We are pleased to be working with the very best in the business in sourcing our premium leathers, hardware and packaging materials. Our clients have our guarantee of both exceptional materials and world class craftsmanship.

New Website

We announced in January our goal of a new website. Subsequently, we have had a bit of bad luck with our current website that delayed a few blogs from posting on Wednesdays. Fortunately, this forced us to deeply reconsider our needs and capabilities in preventing our site from being shut down again and looking forward to unveiling our new website soon.

Telling Our Story

Unlike many of our distinguished contemporaries who design for mass audiences, we only offer our products as bespoke, one-of-a-kind or as a limited edition series. Our products and attentive white glove service is the meaning and vision behind Beau Satchelle.

2020 allowed us time to reconsider our gameplan in sharing our divine story about a partnership from two American industrial cities who decided a decade ago to learn the refined European art of saddle stitching leather. That decision and training resulted in manufacturing and selling exceptional products for luxury leather enthusiasts.

You may have noticed that lately Beau Satchelle’s blogs are considerably more directed towards topics surrounding the leather industry. The content goal of our blog writings is to focus on all things leather or leather-adjacent, with the occasional sprinkling of our own slant of exceptional bespoke products and services.

As explained in an earlier 2021 blog, the pandemic had a profound effect on our team and our families that knocked us off our game for much longer than we hoped. Remaining prayerful and focused, we advise our fabulous readers to fasten your seatbelts…and enjoy the ride…as we continue to provide more insights, products and introductions into the luxury lifestyle as it unfolds for us.