|
E-tailor
Jill-Anne
Partain had two great loves as a child: her computer
and her sewing machine. When not on the computer, she
would spend hours making specially designed bags for
her friends. Logic dictates that Partain would go on
to study computer science or art, but she did neither.
Rather, the 26-year-old majored in international studies.
While traveling in Poland gathering research for her
senior thesis, Partain stumbled upon an entrepreneurial
idea that would merge her two favorite pastimes with
her degree - an exclusive, online handbag boutique based
in Virginia Beach and inspired by European handcrafted
fashion items. "In Krakow and Warsaw, the markets
were full of beautiful, handcrafted products that were
just the opposite of everything mass-produced,"
she says.
A designer at heart - both of Web sites and handbags
- Partain thought she could launch an e-business that
could retain that old-world feel of European markets
even in a high-tech setting. "Since each handbag
would be handcrafted, I knew that I needed a unique
environment to launch the line. I'd designed Web sites
for businesses and served as a digital consultant so
the Internet was the logical launching pad. This also
wasn't an ordinary line of handbags, and I wanted direct
one-to-one relationships with the customers. You can't
build this type of trust and relationships with customers
if [the handbags] are sold through various department
stores and boutiques."
Partain launched her brainchild, PilgrimDesigns.com,
in 1998. The business turned a profit in its first year
and since then revenues have tripled. Even while many
e-tailers and Internet firms have disappeared from the
radar screen, Pilgrim continues to grow. Partain credits
the company's niche product for its success. Ranging
in price from $73 to $650, Partain's handbags use designs
that are not in danger of going out of style. "I
create handbags that a woman will be able to carry 20
years from now. The main focus is the craftsmanship,
not the trendiness," she says.
Partain, who now employs four additional seamstresses,
designs the handbags herself. Each is handmade so no
two are exactly alike. While she started with just a
few styles, demand has been so strong that she's expanded
her wares to eight collections of various themes, ranging
from botanical prints to pinstripes, with several handbags
in each collection.
Since each bag is meticulously crafted by hand, customers
shouldn't expect overnight delivery. "Many orders
take between one to two weeks depending on the amount
of orders and if it is a custom design," says Partain.
-
Leila Marija Ugincius
Return to Virginia Business - January
2002
|
|
