Susan Handley started Beijo as a struggling single mom. Three years later her bags are sold by the tens of thousands at home parties and stores nationwide. Many of the women who host Beijo parties are in the process of gaining their first measure of financial independence.
The bags are made from “vegetarian friendly” material (no leather) – durable polyvinyl, to which combinations of special materials for Beijo’s signature pearlescent finish is added. The bags can be recycled when send back to the manufacturer.
Photo Credit: Web Burrell
“I’ve loved handbags ever since I was a little girl. I’d sneak into my mother’s closet to play dress-up and stack my arms with every bag I could reach. But I never thought my passion for purses would provide a paycheck, until four years ago. That’s when my “practical career”-selling advertising in newspapers and on the radio-made me certifiably unhappy. Babysitters. Stress. Zero savings. As a single mom with a 6-year-old, I needed a major life change, but I didn’t have time to figure out what it was. So I quit-cold turkey.
Beijo “Prim & Proper” bag in pearl from the New Classic Collection,$105.