Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts Product Spotlight: Bogg Bags
Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts recently started carrying a brand of totes and accessories called Bogg Bags. Jennifer Shorter came back from a buying show excited about bringing this global phenomenon to northern Michigan. My first impression? They look an awful lot like Crocs that you carry on your shoulder and put stuff in. But the more I learned about the brand and the more I did my research for this blog, the more I started to understand the appeal of these bags and the idea of the company as a whole. I love a good underdog story, and the origin story of these bags is a doozy.
In 2008, Kim Vaccarella, a New Jersey mom and commercial real estate agent, had an idea to create a tote that was waterproof, washable, and virtually indestructible. She wanted a bag that would float, and most importantly, was big enough to fit everything that she, her husband, and her two sons would need for a day on the Jersey Shore. She was inspired by the versatility of Croc shoes, and she sketched an image on paper and went door to door to companies in New York City to pitch her idea, but she was met with a myriad of nos. She even reached out to Crocs, but they too were uninterested in her idea. So, Kim made the decision to make them herself. She invested her family’s savings into her idea, and she connected with a manufacturer overseas who was able to bring her vision to life. After some initial local success, the popularity of the bags seemed to wane. Kim put her dream on hold and returned to real estate. Then on October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy touched down on the Jersey Shore and after its path of destruction, caused 29.4 billion dollars of damage to the state. Kim, along with thousands of other New Jersians, jumped to action to help those in need. She donated 1,000 totes she had in inventory filled with supplies to families in need. Then, seemingly overnight, a Facebook page that she had created started blowing up with new followers, and comments started rolling in about her bags. The demand for Bogg Bags was created, and the bags went viral. Fast forward 14 years and now her bags are sold in almost 15,000 retail stores nationwide including approximately 2,200 independent retailers (including Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts). She and her brand have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Glamour, and Country Living as well as on Good Morning America and Today. Last year’s revenue alone was right around 175 million dollars.
The tote comes in three sizes: The Original, which is 19” x 9” x 14” and would be perfect to load up for a day at the beach; The Baby, which is 15” x 5” x 12.5” and would be a great work or school bag; and The Bitty, which is 11” x 4.5” x 8.5” and would be prefect for rock hounds gathering Petoskey stones and other rocks and minerals at the beach. In addition to these three totes, the brand also makes organizer pouches, teacher bags, nurse bags, and various other bags. You can also accessorize your Bogg Bag with phone holders, beverage holders, bits, and charms. Their motto? Once you pack a Bogg, you won’t go back. Right now Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts has limited stock, but Jennifer says they have more on order and are set to arrive this spring.
These would definitely make a great beach bag. They are strong, they are waterproof, they float, they will not collapse or tip over, and they are virtually indestructible. A Bogg Bag is not just another tote; it is an investment. This will be the last tote that you will ever have to purchase.
If you want to read more about Bogg Bags or learn more about Kim’s story, I got most of my information from the following useful websites:
