"What? Seriously? That is so cool!"

Do you recognize this house? Probably not. It could be anybody's. But in this case, not just anybody's. This is the home of Amy Grant and Vince Gill.

Why am I posting this? Let me explain.


Chris Fekete, owner of Think Happy Stuff , was one of our vendor neighbors at the Dallas Market Center last year and we became fast friends. She was so taken by our story and loved our bags so much that she suggested she try and bring one to some people in Nashville who may be interested. And, since we are always interested in promoting our Laga bags wherever possible, of course we gave her one.

Well, what she told us next was that one of the main investors in her company is Amy Grant! "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" I gasped. "Wouldn't it be great if she really liked our Laga bag?"

Well, after becoming Facebook friends with Chris and chatting every now and again, I received an email from her saying that she had indeed given our bag to Amy. So guess what? SHE LOVED IT! And get this: she wanted to meet us! "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" I gasped again. "Wouldn't it be great if we could actually make that happen?"

Well, needless to say, we started brainstorming as to how we COULD make that happen. Our next show was to be in Houston, Texas and, after making sure the timing would work out, we made arrangements to fly over to Nashville right after.

Thanks to Chris' intervention, we were so graciously invited by her friends Chip & Jen Nietfeld to come and stay in the guest room over their garage in Franklin for our first-ever trip to Tennessee... "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" I gasped for a third time. We were so excited to have another opportunity to see Chris, to actually meet her family (that is a whole other story I'll have to share with you another time!), friends and hometown which we had heard so much about.


We had an amazing time in Franklin. If you ever get the chance to visit, we highly recommend it! What a beautiful, quaint little town! We met Chris' family and friends. Roy was invited to play his guitar at Kimbro's Pickin' Parlor with Chip and their other musician friends... "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" They had a blast!


The following day, Chris drove us out to Nashville to meet with Amy Grant at her home (now, that should explain the reason I posted the first picture).

Amy met us at the door and welcomed us with a big hug. She offered us something to drink and then went into the kitchen to make us a cup of coffee. As we were waiting, Vince Gill came into the room... "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" He couldn't stay long because they had just finished building a recording studio in their home and he was doing their first recording there and he had a bunch of people waiting for him. But he did stay long enough for me to take a picture of he and Amy together.


We are so blessed for the opportunity to share our Laga story with Amy. She was so impressed with what we were doing for the people of Aceh. She asked a lot of questions, made a few great suggestions for us and asked how she could help. "What? Seriously? That is so cool!" Now it's just up to us to figure out what she can help us that would have the most impact!



"What? Seriously? That is so cool!"

Thanks, Chris! You are the best! And we encourage you all to check out Chris' website: www.thinkhappystuff.com. She has some really amazing products that will make your day!

Oh, and we'll make sure to let you know what comes of this great opportunity with Amy...

Special Rewards for our Special Customers

We’ve accumulated quite a following over the last four years, thanks to many loyal customers and their willingness to share Laga Handbags with their respective circle of influence.
During the year we try and find creative ways to show our appreciation.

One way we do this is by hosting a special event at which we offer our current customers the opportunity to purchase a new Laga bag at a discounted rate.


We open our showroom for just this purpose right before Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas, and provide a relaxed boutique-like shopping atmosphere with refreshments and music.
For each new friend you bring with you, you receive an “appreciation gift.”

Two years ago we did something that has since become really popular and we have adopted it at each “boutique” since: our “Discount Grab Bag.”
At checkout, you can reach into our special Laga bag and get a discount, which ranges anywhere from 10% to 50%, and good on your entire purchase.

Another event that we have held in the past is our Customer Appreciation Night.


Designed as a treat for our loyal customers, we provide an evening of entertainment, food and of course, the opportunity to pick up another Laga bag.
Our Master of Ceremonies introduces several segments for the evening, including music (since Roy is an accomplished musician, having toured professionally through the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, he puts together a band which he appropriately calls “Collaboration,” each year featuring different local musicians), a special speaker, fashion show, silent auction, drawings, a door prize and several other surprises.

It is always a fun evening that gives us the opportunity to meet and “give back” to our supporters.
This year we are in the planning stages of holding our Customer Appreciation Night on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

For those who do not live the in Southern California area, we provide special discounts through the year.
We are currently in the midst of our 6-week Spring Special series.

If you would like to get on our mailing list and be privy to any of these “By Invitation Only” events, make sure you visit our website at www.laga-handbags.com and register.

Handmade Embroidered Handbags

MOVED TO ACTION:

Roy van Broekhuizen and wife Louise founded Laga Designs International, Inc. to provide employment and income for tsunami survivors of Indonesia. Two years after the tsunami in Indonesia, Roy and Louise Van Broekhuizen keep helping the survivors of that devastation. They sell handmade bags by the survivors of that deadly event on Dec. 26, 2004. The founders, quit their job to run the business, work out of their condo in Irvine. The bags are mostly traditional to Aceh, the province that was devastated by the tsunami, but with a modern twist.

The bags are often popular among women who love designer brands such as Coach but hate that those purses are now everywhere and want something fresh.

"Our dream is to provide employment for 1,200 people," he said. "We cannot give them back the loved ones they lost. But we can… help the people of Indonesia restore their economy."
To achieve this goal, the van Broekhuizens are exploring several growth opportunities.



Laga Designs International Inc.
1-888-LAGA BAG
Founders: Roy and Louise van Broekhuizen
Headquarters: Irvine
Where to buy: http://www.laga-handbags.com/boutiques.html.
Materials used: Nylon-polyester blend, water-resistant exterior (polyurethane backing), polyester-cotton blend stitching, satin lining
How bags are made: The bags, which take roughly a day to make, are slightly tweaked by Louise to give them a contemporary flair without compromising the original Acehnese design that's been handed down through generations.