The Great Lithuanian Satchel Adventure

These are beautiful handmade leather satchels from Lithuania. Martynas makes them in his workshop in Siauliai in the north of Lithuania, quite near Russia in fact. The workmanship is superb, each bag is made of solid leather, with all manner of details right down to the little brass feet. They are truly beautiful and I love unpacking them when the arrive. Which brings me to the journey they take..........hmmmm

Being committed to supporting small business I decided to use a small Lithuanian courier service to transport the bags to England. An error in communication (given that my Lithuanian is retricted to 'hello') meant that the courier had a weird Leeds address and my mobile number. Factor in that the courier had driven from Eastern Europe and was due to arrive in Leeds, with my lovely bags, in the middle of the night, you can see that it might start to become an adventure. Roused from my slumber one night by a phonecall from Mr. Courier, who fortunately spoke excellent English, I quickly realised my bags were about to be whisked away again if there was nobody to meet them 30 miles away. I had no choice but to get dressed and drive to Leeds in the middle of the night. I had customers waiting for their new satchels. So I loitered, in a less than salubrious street in Leeds for an hour, my van looking suspicious with the engine running to keep warm. Happily the courier arrived close to midnight, friendly and helpful as he explained that he could bring many, many bags from Lithuania to any part of the UK at any time of day or night. Well, York during the day would be nice ;-)

Fify waistcoats now sold!

50 discerning fashionistas of York are now wearing our range of waistcoats, handmade and bespoke! From the masculine style to the very fitted 'bodice' style, these waistcoats look fantastic in rich brocades and wools for the winter. A number have been styled with our very special collection of vintage buttons.

If you have an hour or two to spare, pop in to the shop and try our range of styles and sizes and even pick out your favourite fabric for your very own design.

Our gallery page on the website has some examples for you to drool over! www.bolsitabags.co.uk

Waistcoats are back!

Hooray! Waistcoats are making a splendid comeback. We're glad because there is so much pleasure in creating these simply but stunning garments.

Plus the excitement of being able to buy a lorry load of fabric especially for made to measure waistcoats for customers who want to be involved in the creative process! We have tweeds, cottons, wool, pinstripe, brocade, floral and bright, dark and sophisticated.....

We are recommending for women the tailored cut with the low neckline, very flattering.

Pics coming soon. Can we tempt you to a new look this Autumn?

Sharon at Bolsita
www.bolsitabags.co.uk
info@bolsitabags.co.uk

Satchels are the new 'it' bag

Featured on Woman's Hour recently, the traditional satchel has made a huge comeback. But now with the modern twist of being available in funky colours. If I had a pound for every time someone came into the shop and said 'I used to have one of those at school'......

So popular are they becoming that the suppliers are having trouble keeping up. Luckily, I have an order on its way and a few choice examples in the shop (Bolsita, 68 Micklegate, York, YO1 6LF).

We have the earthy alternative in the goat leather satchels, which have a fantastic look and are more relaxed than the stiff and formal traditional satchels. You can look at these at http://www.bolsitabags.co.uk/

Lithuanian bags now arrived!

After a great deal of google-translated emails and tumble weed conversations (as I don't speak Lithuanian and Martynas doesn't speak English) we have secured a fantastic line in handmade Lithuanian satchels and briefcases.

When they arrived (via a van driven all the way from Lithuania - I think the driver was a bit fed up as he didn't raise a smile at my attempts at 'Labas' - Hi) I couldn't believe the quality of them. The fittings are heavy and solid looking, the leather is thick but incredibly soft and pliable and inside they have every conceivable nook and cranny for pens, phones, mp3 players, diaries, cards etc. etc. I love them so much I may have 'borrowed' one to try out!

I've attached a picture here and there are a couple on the website, http://www.bolsitabags.co.uk/, so have a look - you'll see what I mean!

Website is taking off!

Our website http://www.bolsitabags.co.uk/ is starting to become very busy. Please bear with us as we are struggling to replace stock at the pace it is being sold - though a good problem to have!

As each bag is (lovingly) handmade in the shop in York, there is occasionally a waiting list for some popular items, particularly the tweed shoppers which are comfortingly autumnal! Our tweed fabrics are sourced from various places. Unfortunately, our stock of vintage Harris Tweed has all gone- but we will search for more.

If you are a fan of the Made in Britain brand, these products will be just the ticket. Bolsita supports numerous tiny businesses in Yorkshire by selling handmade scarves, hats, brooches and bags. And with Christmas just around the corner.....!

If you are intending to order from the website, don't leave it too late and do bear in mind Christmas posting times later in December.

Cheers!

and a sample from the website...

One of my favorites at the moment. Reminds me that lovely autumn is coming and air is cooler!