News

My husband and I were invited to our friends joint surprise 50th birthday party last week. Unfortunately the week prior to the party had been very busy both at work and at home..So I hadn’t had time to work out what to wear. I didn’t have time to buy a new outfit and didn’t really want to anyway I’ve got loads of party clothes and don’t  go to that many parties....I know it’s sad isn’t it 😂. So I opened theTardis  that is my wardrobe, If Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant are in there I wish they would come out.....! Anyway I rifled  through and fell upon a black trouser suit which I love, feel comfy in and can “dress up”. Next step ....Bag Heaven. Monton ...I got myself a fun and frivolous turquoise feather bag ....with turquoise earrings it looked fab! It made me feel good too, I think when you are a certain age 🤔 a fun bag can quickly and effectively update an outfit without looking too much like a “try hard”. The whole outfit looked completely different to when I last wore it and I felt good. Have a look at the photo and remember an old outfit in your wardrobe can soon have a completely different spin if you add new,fun accessories. Enjoy the wedding/party/Ascot season. 🥂

What happens to us? I’ve been selling bags for 30 years and at this time of year we are selling lots of prom, wedding and occasion bags and I am always shocked when customers who dress really well all year round, are smart, have great style and confidence loose the plot when choosing a bag for a special occasion! They stress so much about other people, what they might think, what they may wear,i f it suits the outfit and will it hold a pair of foldable shoes! Luckily I am used to it and we get the right bag for the right woman/outfit. NOT for the fashion police. We all have confidence issues at points in our lives for no apparent reason. I blame it on the media, they are pushing unrealistic images onto us (women of a certain age 😬) of body altered airbrushed actresses who lie throughout their back teeth when asked if they have had any “work done' the answer is always NO....REALLY you expect us to believe that. It’s too much pressure and wholly unnecessary we all look great and hand-on heart it’s something I have said for years “the right bag is always the finishing touch" Have a great bank holiday weekend Adele x

I went to the annual yoga show on Sunday it was absolutely brilliant, the event was packed, lots of classes demonstrating different types of yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Also there was a Gong Bath workshop which I was interested to try ....OMG!!! it was the most amazing surreal experience, I loved it and I cannot for the life of me explain why? But why question it, If it works for you then accept that and enjoy it. Anyway I wore one of our ROKA cross body bags in corn, and as I was leaving the class I was asked where my bag was from ....guess what? I didn’t have any  business cards on me ....in business for 31 years and I didn’t have my business cards .....bloody useless 😩 anyway I found a pen and paper and was able to give out the website www.yourbagheaven.com that happened 3 times and all three women have been in touch and bought a ROKA bag. What a result.

You have to laugh 😂😂😂 🧘‍♂️. Next year I will be organized!!!!!

The whole day with classes and meditation with 2 lovely friends was a great success but I definitely need the Gong Bath again .....wonderful 🧘‍♂️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Too cute.......the march of the decorated elephants, sparkly scotties and spotted sheep.....aren’t they lovely 💞The range makes everybody smile when they see them. The styles are purses, makeup and larger cosmetic bags. All make gorgeous gifts and as the most expensive is £15 #whatsnottolike?

We have just returned from a trip to Valencia. We went to this beautiful city because they were celebrating Las Fallas - a traditional celebration of the carpenter. EVERY family and neighbourhood takes part with amazing enthusiasm and work ethic. They parade through the streets and squares wearing their very best beautifully made traditional costumes, men women and children. They walk with pride and musicians play as they walk beside them. It's amazing to be part of and to witness. There is a real sense of belonging. It got me thinking about the old Salford Whit Walks...remember them? What happened? We had that ...we had the kind of traditions we marvel about when we travel to European cities.....we had Whit Walks where it seemed every child had new shoes, socks, knickers and vests and party dresses......it was valued. It seems to me that perhaps the responsibility for the demise lands at the door of the town planning department. Did they realise what the people would lose with ‘ compulsory purchase’ of much loved homes, and building homes which they  themselves wouldn’t live in....? We will never know but it helped to destroy community and tradition. I shall always remember when Walkden Market Hall was demolished.......it had the protection of a Market’s Charter ........did you know that ? So when you go like me to other countries and admire their tradition, community and sense of belonging, admire their markets ....remember there was none better than Cross Lane Market Salford. 

I had to write this ......WHAT IS A CITY BUT IT’S  PEOPLE.

 

Definition of veganism - ‘ Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products. A lifestyle that avoids all animal derived products such as meat, dairy, eggs, honey and animal derived products and as far as possible, products tested on animals’ We admire those principles and the philosophy. We have listened to our customers and we have addressed the customer demand with a great range of affordable on trend vegan bag brands Red Cuckoo and ROKA to name a few. Your response has been amazing and sales have reflected that Thank You.

"You asked and we listened".

So too can be said of our other brands you asked for unusual independent brands and we supplied them Cecilia Plaza , Soruka, LUA,  Pig Shed, and many more. Thanks go to our customers for always keeping us ahead of the game ‘You Demand and we Supply’.

Before I go a lovely customer whom I have known for many years - 30+ years!!! was in the shop as I was finishing serving a woman with 2 vegan ROKA bags we chatted and the lady left.The older lady came across to me and asked what the lady had bought ,I explained that she bought 2 vegan bags as she was a vegan ....her reply “ well you wouldn’t have known it she looked just like us” ......😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎀

 

 

I feel as if I shouldn’t say it, global warming and all that....but..hasn’t February been amazing! Sunglasses in February! We took a short break to Porto a week or two ago (highly recommended) and truly the weather there was not that much warmer than here in Manchester...I put an extra layer on as I was leaving the aeroplane at Manchester and had to whip it off before customs! Then .....I worried whether that might look suspicious to the Border Police (do you watch Border Control USA? - terrifying) so I quickly deliberated whether to put on a smiling face (will that look too obvious?) quickly  followed by a serious “nothing to see here“ dead pan look. Anyway I got through customs (serious face) I have no idea why, I have never tried to bring contraband into any country but I breathe a huge sigh of relief when I clear the doors.

Sunshine in Manchester!!! let alone sunshine in Manchester in February.....you have to admit it’s been an unexpected pleasure. So we decided to bring the summer stock forward and get it onto the shelves. The shop looks fab ...our new ROKA BAGS are certainly getting a positive reaction.They are super cool, urban, lightweight and unisex, perfect for travel/ work and well....just wearing. The colour range is huge ranging from subtle greys to big punchy orange, whichever colour you choose has a great urban vibe. What will March bring? Probably snow!!!

 

 

 

As you may be aware we launched our new much improved website in the latter half of 2018. It was a tough year my husband Chris really put a tremendous amount of time into the vision we had. Loading the site with as much of our stock as possible (we have a lot of bags!!!!). We had guidance and practical help from @ianjames and Matt #conspicuousmarketing in Manchester, thank you to them they held our hand and made it a much easier experience. We now have an easy to use, attractive, understandable and easy to buy from website......we hope you agree. Please do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything we may do to improve the site for you. www.yourbagheaven.com will keep improving and thanks to you it has proved to be successful with a lot of repeat customers from all over the country and beyond.

 

Wow ...wow ...wow Viva España 🇬🇧🇩🇪.We have got some amazing new Spanish labels for you this season, some of which we have managed to secure exclusivity in the North West....which to be honest is a real feather in our cap. All the new collections are truly head turning styles, colour combinations and finishes. ...watch this space. We will put images on the site as soon as we are able.....think tequila sunrise, pina colada and cold Rioja. These labels are truly different which hand on heart as an independent shop gives me a real buzz and signposts Bag Heaven and www.yourbagheaven.com as stores to watch. We try our best to keep abreast of new styles/colours and finishes with the intention to offer fabulous bags at the right price. We hope you agree that Spring Summer 2019 is promising to be very exciting for us and for you.🌸🌼🌻🥀🌹🌷🌺💐

Great news for 2019, we have a new brand -Cecilia Plaza- which we love - it’s quirky, it’s different, it’s quality and best of all it is very affordable. Just one look at the bags and you can see it’s spanish. The bags are lovingly handmade by the artist and that personal attention to detail is immediately evident. We are super proud to have brand exclusivity and to have the opportunity to bring something different to Monton High street and www.yourbagheaven.com We have lots of new and exciting things happening for Spring and Summer 2019 so please keep watching.