Beggar's Pouch Leather

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CoachCruiser

CoachCruiser

O.G.
Jun 9, 2011
4,681
2,168
#1
I thought Mike Bajger of The Beggar's Pouch Leather deserved his own thread, especially considering the amount of positive feedback his website and bags have been getting, which I'm so thrilled about. This thread is really a "Part 2" -- If you're late to the game, check out the post called Made in America under this Handbag forum, which I'll call "Part 1." :smile1:

Also, check out his website at www.BeggarsPouchLeather.com. He has a facebook account, too (and our pic together made it on there! hee hee!).

This past Monday, I drove up to North Conway, NH from Shrewsbury, MA specifically to pick out another bag from Beggar's Pouch. Only about a week before, I had gotten a beautiful purple leather bag and was thrilled with the quality. (Check out "Part I," mentioned above). I love the bag but wanted a bigger, everyday bag so I could put ALL my goodies in there.

When I got there, Mike greeted me warmly and introduced me to his wife, Rene, who was working upstairs on a huge half hide of calfskin leather in garnet. He patiently showed me all of the different parts of the animal -- "this here's the belly"/etc -- and explained which parts were better for certain parts of bags, due to softness/etc. It was really fascinating! (I meant to take a pic of his wife at work, but I forgot in my excitement. Drat!) She was lovely and I really enjoyed meeting her. :D

I looked downstairs for a belt for my husband (designed and handcrafted by Mike, of course!), and after I chose one, Mike worked at his bench, drilling in holes and affixing the buckle/hardware (that I got to pick out myself!) to the belt after learning my husband's belt size. Meanwhile, I browsed through his bag selection. :graucho:

So, without further ado, here is the gorgeous Casablanca, the largest of the Beggar's Pouch compartment bags (for an incredibly reasonable $174). You'll see that there's a middle pocket w/a zipper for safely securing your wallet/valuables...and tons of pockets for everything you could need! I'm in love with the color. This is definitely my new everyday bag. Long story short, this bag is fantastic. I can adjust the strap to wear it crossbody (my favorite), or shorten it and wear it easily over the shoulder. The leather is just as soft and smooshy and lovely as ever.

I've uploaded the max amount of pics possible to show you this "Casablanca" style, which comes in lots of different colors (check out their site!)....I wanted to show it to you empty, stuffed w/well, stuff...zipped, unzipped, outdoors, indoors, etc. I'm in LOVE WITH IT and have been carrying it since I got it!

Mike and Rene Bajger are good, salt-of-the-earth people, and I was sad to say goodbye. I really could have hung out there longer (he even showed me the cool tools that he uses to handtool his belts!!)......But I'll be back soon! ;)

Enjoy the pics!!!!
 

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#2
CoachCruiser said:
I thought Mike Bajger of The Beggar's Pouch Leather deserved his own thread, especially considering the amount of positive feedback his website and bags have been getting, which I'm so thrilled about. This thread is really a "Part 2" -- If you're late to the game, check out the post called Made in America under this Handbag forum, which I'll call "Part 1." :smile1:

Also, check out his website at www.BeggarsPouchLeather.com. He has a facebook account, too (and our pic together made it on there! hee hee!).

This past Monday, I drove up to North Conway, NH from Shrewsbury, MA specifically to pick out another bag from Beggar's Pouch. Only about a week before, I had gotten a beautiful purple leather bag and was thrilled with the quality. (Check out "Part I," mentioned above). I love the bag but wanted a bigger, everyday bag so I could put ALL my goodies in there.

When I got there, Mike greeted me warmly and introduced me to his wife, Rene, who was working upstairs on a huge half hide of calfskin leather in garnet. He patiently showed me all of the different parts of the animal -- "this here's the belly"/etc -- and explained which parts were better for certain parts of bags, due to softness/etc. It was really fascinating! (I meant to take a pic of his wife at work, but I forgot in my excitement. Drat!) She was lovely and I really enjoyed meeting her. :D

I looked downstairs for a belt for my husband (designed and handcrafted by Mike, of course!), and after I chose one, Mike worked at his bench, drilling in holes and affixing the buckle/hardware (that I got to pick out myself!) to the belt after learning my husband's belt size. Meanwhile, I browsed through his bag selection. :graucho:

So, without further ado, here is the gorgeous Casablanca, the largest of the Beggar's Pouch compartment bags (for an incredibly reasonable $174). You'll see that there's a middle pocket w/a zipper for safely securing your wallet/valuables...and tons of pockets for everything you could need! I'm in love with the color. This is definitely my new everyday bag. Long story short, this bag is fantastic. I can adjust the strap to wear it crossbody (my favorite), or shorten it and wear it easily over the shoulder. The leather is just as soft and smooshy and lovely as ever.

I've uploaded the max amount of pics possible to show you this "Casablanca" style, which comes in lots of different colors (check out their site!)....I wanted to show it to you empty, stuffed w/well, stuff...zipped, unzipped, outdoors, indoors, etc. I'm in LOVE WITH IT and have been carrying it since I got it!

Mike and Rene Bajger are good, salt-of-the-earth people, and I was sad to say goodbye. I really could have hung out there longer (he even showed me the cool tools that he uses to handtool his belts!!)......But I'll be back soon! ;)

Enjoy the pics!!!!
Click to expand...

That is really pretty! May I ask how much it weighs?
 
#6
The Casablanca handbag from the Beggars Pouch Leather weighs 1 lb, 12 oz empty. An important item to remember is that the bag is fully lined with leather. All interior pockets and pouches are leather too. After all, the inside of a handbag gets more use than the outside! These handbags are really made to be enjoyed for many years.
 
#9
Leather lady said:
The Casablanca handbag from the Beggars Pouch Leather weighs 1 lb, 12 oz empty. An important item to remember is that the bag is fully lined with leather. All interior pockets and pouches are leather too. After all, the inside of a handbag gets more use than the outside! These handbags are really made to be enjoyed for many years.
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
#11
Gorgeous! You can see how soft and smushy the leather is.
And you can't beat the price.
Speaking as someone who's been in Sales/Marketing, it's a shame he doesn't have something on his bag that lets people know the brand.
 
#12
This bag is really gorgeous, and I love hearing the story behind them! Looks like his company is a fantastic alternative for those of us who search for handmade items--harder and harder to locate these days. Do you have any modeling pics of this bag? Love it--congrats!
 
#15
When my bag was delivered, I noticed the cute zipper pull right off the bat. That was a very big plus for me, as I am not a big fan of logos plastered all over. All I want to see on a bag is great leather and hardware.
 
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