From Financial Advisor to Handbag Inventor | Emily Blumenthal & Penny Crook

What happens when a sentimental handbag inspires an entirely new business? In this episode, Penny Crook, founder of Denault Handbags, shares how a purse gifted by her late father sparked the idea for a patented reversible handbag designed to simplify wardrobes and deliver two looks in one. Leaving behind a career in financial advising, Penny entered the world of product development, manufacturing, and patents to create a bag that blends functionality, versatility, and quality. She opens up about costly manufacturing mistakes, the importance of vetting factories, and the lessons she learned rebuilding her business with stronger processes and partners. From tech packs and sampling costs to Amazon, boutiques, trade shows, and influencer marketing, Penny offers a practical roadmap for turning an idea into a marketable product.

Key Takeaways:

• Do your homework on manufacturers — Research, references, and factory vetting can save years of costly mistakes.
 • Patience protects your brand — Slowing down during development often prevents expensive problems later.
 • Innovation needs education — Unique products sell faster when customers can clearly see and understand the value.

🎧 Listen now for a candid conversation about invention, entrepreneurship, and building a handbag brand from a personal story.

Our Guest:
 Penny Crook is the founder and inventor behind Denault Handbags, a patented reversible handbag brand designed to offer style, versatility, and everyday practicality. A former financial advisor turned entrepreneur, Penny combines thoughtful product innovation with quality craftsmanship, creating handbags that help women simplify their wardrobes without sacrificing style.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Transcript

Turning A Loss Into Progress

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You know, you make mistakes, but you gotta learn from those. And every mistake I learn, I try to find the positive. Yeah. No, every negativity, hey, you know, I had some, you know, money stolen, but I found the manufacturer today. You know. You know, just a little. Yeah. But that's how I found my current manufacturer, and he makes my reversible purse perfectly. So had it not been for that bad situation, something good would not have come out of it, which is finally finding my manufacturer that can make it perfectly. And we went through four different manufacturers before getting there. So out of something bad, something good happened.

Welcome And Meet Penny Crook

SPEAKER_02 0:36

Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag fairy godmother. Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers, the creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all. Welcome, Miss Penny Crook.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Good morning. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Woo! Welcome to Handbag Designer 101 handbags of Dano handbags, or just so we can be clear, D-A-N-E-A-U-L-T, because you're, as you said, your daddy was French, which I was 100% French, and I apologize.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

There's a lot of vowels in my maiden name. Did he speak French? He did. He did, yes. Did you grow up speaking French? I did not. My French teacher told him not to teach me because he was teaching me slang and not textbooks. So yeah. So I had two years of French in high school, but I don't speak it today.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

But isn't that funny? Like how things evolve or devolve that, you know, back in the day they would tell people, like, hide your roots, don't do that. And all the things you could have put on your LinkedIn profile had you known. Like, I'm fluent. Like, no, just kidding. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Now I'm fluent in southern. Oh my God. But your accent is so darling. It's just it's such a delight. So, Penny, let's go back just because I, you know, we have so many people on and they have such different journeys. And I my school semester just finished. I when this runs, uh, my it's we're recording this in the end of May. So my teaching semester finished, this may run closer to August, but part of what we talk about in my entrepreneurship class is that sometimes life is not a linear journey, especially in terms of starting a new career, a new business, a new brand. And I think there's I think there's some joy in knowing that for better or for worse, that having this opportunity to begin again and again and again, it just gives us some hope, even with learning curves, that there are good things to come, even if you're hate your day job or get stuck in like your day-to-day, there's still an opportunity to have a life pivot.

From Finance To A Calling

SPEAKER_02 3:20

So what did you do in your previous life, Miss Crook?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Oh, that's an interesting question. I often say that I am not a fashionista. I had no business being in this industry, but it was a calling. It really was. I was a financial advisor for many, many years. So I did, you know, stocks, bonds, mutual. How did that happen? How did you get sucked into that? So as the story goes, my dad passed away and my parents were married 66 years, and I was helping my mom clean up closets when we found a purse that he had given her. And I kid you not, when I held it in my arms, I had goosebumps and my hair was sticking up. And I knew I'm like, I'm supposed to be doing something with this. I don't know what, but something. So I just asked my mom if I can borrow it and took it home. And I just, you know, talked to the Lord and and talked to my daddy, of course, and just like, okay, what am I supposed to be doing? And then we woke up with the idea of the reversible purse. And I'm like, I don't know how I'm gonna do it. I don't even know if it's possible, but the affirmation was that strong that I knew I had to try. So here we are today. We have a patent on a reversible purse, like nothing you've seen before. So that's the story. Like, I was in sales, I was a financial advisor. Where were you living about this world at the time in California? And it was during COVID when we first started. So yeah, trials and tribulations for sure. So where are you from originally, though?

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Panama City, Florida, redneck Riviera. Oh my God. So, and it's so funny as someone who's from the delightful Northeast. When you hear someone having a southern accent and then they're from Florida, it's confusing. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's like, wait a second, they don't say that. They don't sound like that in Miami. Why do they sound like that where you are?

SPEAKER_00 5:04

It's nuts. Panama City's in the panhandle, which we refer to as LA, Lower Alabama.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

I can't.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

So very country in the panhandle, yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

So how did you end up in California?

SPEAKER_00 5:19

My husband is a news videographer, and we moved for his career with Fox in Oakland, California. So we were there for 21 years.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Was that hard to move, or were you like, okay, it it like let's go?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

No, we're adventurous. We were risk takers. I mean, I'm an entrepreneur, heck, I'm a risk taker. So we were our son was four at the time. We're like, if we're gonna move, now's the time to do it before we start school. And we were ready. We were ready for the change and we were excited, so we weren't even nervous. So wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

So you got there, and did you have to look for like were you already in finance? Was that what you were doing? And then you were like, okay, I'll be able to find a job because it's such a responsible, you know, low-risk job that people are always looking for people like me.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Yes, I was a financial advisor, so I got a job with Washington Mutual as a financial advisor, which is a bank. And of course, we know what happened to Washington Mutual, you know, the government closing down. But it was a blessing in disguise because I was able to start something kind of new and go into the I was a sales director for companies and, you know, did national sales. And so that built up my sales techniques and, you know, client relationship building and all those good things that come along with being an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

Do you think though? We just had someone on just recently who had a very corporate job and was very, you know, not blah blah about it, but it's very responsible, very methodical, very, okay, I'm dealing with a ton of men. So I have to be 10 times more buttoned up, 10 times more prepared, you know, checks and balances and being very thoughtful in terms of my approach that I have to think before I say anything. Do you think that really affected how you go about things?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Absolutely. Because as you can see, my personality is pretty laid back. I'm easygoing. But when you go into those professional meetings with, you know, big VPs and directors of companies, you know, I was a different person. I was more professional at that time. But with the ordinary public individual, I'm I'm myself. My personality shines and I want to be bubbly and perky penny.

SPEAKER_02 7:30

That's so cute. Oh my God. So you had kids, and it's it's crazy to talk about a lifetime and then just say, okay, so you had kids, they grew up, and then they, but it's I still reflect on my 20s and I can remember these things like as clear as day. And it's like, oh my God, that's like 250,000 lifetime ago. But you had kids, you day jobbed again, not easy for a woman and a mom to do to do it all. And from I I'm already vibing you're a do-it-all kind of gal. Like you you were at the PTA meetings, you baked the pies, and you were still day jobbing, and you were still doing cardpools and yes, absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

But when you're younger, you can do that, you thrive to do that, you know. And and we only had one child, um, Zachary's his name. He's gonna be 28 this year.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

But I was definitely the helicopter mom, as you mentioned. I was like all over the place, you know, PTA chairman and you know, doing the carnival and soccer mom, team coach, everything I could get my hands in because I wanted to be a part of his life. But at the same time, like you said, I had my other side, my real job, and but I want to be as active as possible in his life. So it was a joy. It was a joy for sure, but hard balance.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Yeah, I think nobody, you know, you're in the thick of it until you're not in the thick of it. And then you're like, Well, I'm so used to being in the thick of something, so I need to maybe that was the overlap of the calling that maybe your daddy was saying, like, you are not done being in the thick of something. So throw yourself back in, honey bunny. Like, yeah, here we go.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

I jokingly tell my husband all the time, like, what was I thinking? Starting a company in my mid-50s, we could have had a very comfy retirement, but instead, I chose to open a company, work my ass off, spend all our money, say stress, but hey, yes. But you know what I'm calling. There's a purpose, and I'm passionate about it because it's carrying on my family name and being able to- It keeps you young though. It does, it keeps my mind sharp because I'm going all day long. And I'm one of those people that if I have a hundred things on my to-do list daily, I'm gonna get 95 done. Yeah, if I have two, I might get one done. Right. The more I have, the more active I am, and you know, you know, it just keeps you going. It's like a almost like a natural high. Yeah. Mark off that thing on your to-do list. Dun dun dun dun dun. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Yep. So I it's I drugs, girl. I get it. I get it. I I know, I know. I could tell you the the two times I, you know, fun fact, the two times I tried ecstasy, I was up for three days straight. And then the two times I went on the pill, I gained 15 pounds in like in 11 days, both times. Like, I'm not meant for foreign substances. It's very, very clear. It's it's just not good for me. So I hear you.

Starting A Brand Midlife

SPEAKER_02 10:18

I wanted though, you felt this bag, you touched this bag. How did you know, okay, what's next? Like you could say, and I really wanna stop you from framing it as uh I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't because look, Penny, no one does. And like all of the best, best laid plans they don't work, and that's okay. So it's really, you know, we have so many people on that get this idea, think they're a designer, and then they just run with it. And you know, like the best laid plans, the most organized people, like all that methodical stuff is out the out the window because it's like I have this feeling and I need to run with it.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

And sometimes it reminds us, you know, of the risk. Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. You know, and I'm one of those individuals that have never failed at anything I've tried, I've always been successful. So when I got this idea in my head, as I mentioned, I didn't know how I was gonna do it or, but I knew I had to try. And that's what's kept me going is the affirmation that this is meant. I need to keep pushing. You know, like any entrepreneur, you're gonna have struggles, ups and downs. You know, we had COVID, you know, I had breast cancer during this, loss of parents, but that's not gonna stop an entrepreneur. We're gonna keep going no matter what. I mean, because you've you love your product. I'm passionate about my product. I know I have something super special, is getting that out to the masses. And I know we're gonna be very, very successful. So nothing's gonna stop me from going forward, regardless of the ups and downs. That's part of the path. And you learn every time there's a challenge ahead of you, is like, okay, I did that wrong, but I'm not gonna do it wrong again.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

Right, right, right. Let's hope not.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

But I know you and I had spoken about in terms of the learning curve, and sometimes it can be very, very expensive. And just out of curiosity, do you think had you not had the money available to you, your harder money, that perhaps you wouldn't have been so quick to invest so much money?

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Yeah, I think that's a true statement. You know, would have taken it a little bit slower. But I'm not gonna change the past and I'm happy where we're at now. We have a wonderful collection. And I I I think, you know, you make mistakes, but you gotta learn from those. And every mistake I learn, I try to find the positive. Yeah. You know, every negativity, hey, you know, I had some, you know, money stolen, but I found the manufacturer today. You know, you know, just a little. Yeah. But that's how I found my current manufacturer, and he makes my reversible purse perfectly. So had it not been for that bad situation, something good would not have come out of it, which is finally finding my manufacturer that can make it perfectly. And we went through four different manufacturers before getting there. So out of something bad, something good happened.

Manufacturer Scams And Red Flags

SPEAKER_00 13:15

So I just try to stay positive.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

Can you just share a little that as you said, you you had a very unfortunate situation that unfortunately happens to more people than I can even tell you. Like when you shared your story, that you tried to hang your hat on the first manufacturer who unfortunately ends up being almost more like a therapist, that you dump your whole life story to them and they take full advantage of your naivety, of your green, of your feelings, of your emotions, of oh, I got this. And then before you know it, you've dumped your life story plus to them. Something that old Penny would never have done, professional Penny, but because this is new and it was an emotional and you felt it and your daddy in the bag. What do you think in hindsight you would tell old Penny what not to do so she is not stuck with a manufacturer who dupes and steals and holds uh samples and materials captive and has to fight to get them back and like learn? What would you say? Like, okay, what are the takeaways from that awful situation? Because again, we don't want to give too much uh air to something that was so awful. Because again, it happens to more designers, more people than I can even tell you. Like when you told me that story, I'm like, I'm so sorry, but you are not alone. Yeah. So what do you think you can impart in terms of like lessons learned that if you were to having been through it, what were the red flags that you ignored? If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you. If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you. If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you. I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the handbag designer 101 masterclass. Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture, and market a handbag brand. Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes. For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the handbag designer Bible, founded the handbag awards, and created the only handbag designer podcast.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

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SPEAKER_02 16:16

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SPEAKER_00 16:33

Well, you nailed it. I mean, it was my southern, I guess, upbringing where I was naive and more trusting and the passion about the company. I'm like, okay, I got somebody that wants to work with me. And just getting caught up in the excitement and wanting to build the company and moving forward without doing your background searches and this and that. So slowing things down, you know, doing more investigations, doing more research, and not getting caught up with the emotional side. I like to say that I think I have myself as an intelligent woman. So the fact that I got conned, you know, is was shocking to me. But at the same time, I'm like, okay, the brain and the heart were moving in different, different stages. You know, my head should have been like ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. But my heart, as you mentioned, was passionate. I was ready to move forward. I was excited. I was ready to do this company. So just slow things down and really do your background research and make sure that you're working with appropriate people. So, you know, again, out of something bad, something good happened because I did open another company to help consulting and helping other entrepreneurs find me, you know, many factors that are legit. So that's kind of my calling to help others so that, you know, if they don't have the funds, I don't want somebody else to get conned and that's their last funds. So yeah, just slow things down. I that's my best advice I would give, and just do your research.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Can I ask you though, as women in particular, sometimes we feel uncomfortable asking questions like, can you share some of your clients or can I get recommendations? Like, and then if you get pushback, we get so excited that we think, okay, well, at least I found someone. At least someone gets me. Oh, thank good. Okay, you know what, that's fine. Or the person they gave me didn't like I'm sure professional Penny felt the gut feeling and totally ignored it.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

So absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

What are some of the questions that you think people should ask unapologetically when they start working with the manufacturer?

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Yeah. So location, and for me, ethics is important as well. I want to make sure that the manufacturer is not using child slavery. And, you know, I want to make sure they're on the up and up on that. If you can, go visit the place, you know, take a tour of the factory or, you know, somebody representative of you to be go go visit the factory. Also, you know, it's not not wrong to ask for their financials to find out if they're profitable because you want to know they're not going to scan you. Ask for samples, you know, of what some

Vetting Factories And Controlling Costs

SPEAKER_00 19:10

of their current products, and like you said, their current customers. Ask if you can contact those individuals. And I did none of that initially. So I have learned through this process as well greatly. And I ask all that, and I'm not afraid to ask now. And it just takes one time getting burned, and you're like, nope, not asking it again. I need your information, please.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

You know, can I and another thing, a lot of designers get swept up and thinking, oh, they'll do my samples for free. But in reality, you get charged somewhere. So it's either the shipping, you'll get charged something astronomical. They're like, oh my God, I got a bill for twelve hundred dollars, where they said it was going to be free. So in terms of expectation and transparency, I talk a lot with designers that needing to be prepared when you speak to a manufacturer. And sometimes when the questions are either too excessive, too extreme, too insecure, sign an NDA, NDA, the factory can sniff out that you're green, you don't know what you're doing. And then immediately they're like, okay, I know this person is either going to be crazy, too difficult, or it's going to be so complicated with back and forth, back and forth that I'm going to give them some crazy number just because I know there'll be a pain in the ass and a headache. What are some of the questions that you think would have been helpful had you now that you know, to be prepared in terms of sketches, sampling, product? Like, would you try to get the sample made domestically first and then ship it over? Like, what are some of those things you can impart?

SPEAKER_00 20:51

I don't know. I did not have my samples made domestically. I had my, you know, tech pack drawings. I sent them to the manufacturer. I also made your tech pack. I have an employee that works for me that does my tech pack drawings for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

But you you learn that the hard way that, oh, I guess I need a tech pack.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Right. But there's consultants out there that you can hire to do them as well. So, but yes, so I send it to the manufacturer, I then get a sampling cost and I have them use my own FedEx account to ship it to me so that I don't get conned on any type of shipping charges.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Such a good idea.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, yeah. So, and if I'm not in agreement to their sampling price, I don't move forward. So that's it. Yeah, I think that's the best way to go is to make sure. And if they're not willing to work with you, you know, and want to think you're a hassle or whatever the case may be, then so be it. It wasn't meant to be because uh you have every right to ask the questions and make sure that you're protecting yourself. If they may be protecting themselves too, maybe I am crazy penny. I don't know. Today I'm not. Today I'm perky penny, but tomorrow I may be crazy penny.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Who knows? Oh my God, the name Penny just everything works with. The penny, let me tell you. Oh my god. So that's so helpful. So, okay, so Penny recovered, Penny went through it. At what point were you like, okay, I have a sample? Oh, I've been through hell and back. Did you start selling to boutiques at the same time while you were going through this and getting orders against it? And then telling the boutiques, hey, I'm gonna have a my delivery window is bigger, obviously not disclosing why, because that they don't need to know. How did you handle this process of dealing with a bum factory, shopping for a new factory, and still growing the business sales? Because if you have employees, like that's that is an undertaking unto itself.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Yeah. So we didn't soft launch really until

Launch Plan Amazon Markets TikTok

SPEAKER_00 22:49

October of 2025. So we kind of waited until we had the patent on the reversible purse because I didn't want somebody to be out there and too early and you know try to copy me. So we soft launched on Amazon and TikTok while at the same time I was doing markets, uh uh permanent showroom, Jim Scarf in Dallas Market, Nashville Market, Atlanta Market to get the boutique exposure. But I was doing an omni-channel, you know, multi-channel omni strategy to get the the message out there all at once. So that's what we've been struggling with is getting more boutiques. M's on TikTok and our website obviously are going very well, but getting the message out there to the boutiques. And I, you know, I do think that my purses, because you see a picture of them, you're like, oh, she's pretty. But until you see the multifunctionality of them, do you not understand the true value of it? I have a new line that I say, she's not only pretty, but she's talented. She does tricks, watch. And then I reverse it and flip it for them, and they're like, oh my goodness. So for me, it's a little extra layer of challenges when getting to boutiques because I need to, and I'm in the process right now of doing videos of each purse and showing the multi-functionality of them so that I can use them for my sales process. But I think each entrepreneur needs to figure out what path is right for them for marketing. You know, I know some friends of mine, you know, one that has a denim company, gene company, and he is all in on boutiques and he's not on Amazon or TikTok. So it just, I think, is what's best for your product and how to get the message out there widely in the most efficient, cost-effective way.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

How did you have, pardon my French, the balls to go on TikTok? I'm so fascinated. How did you have it in you to be like, okay, pennies going in?

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Yeah, we just started TikTok in January, I believe it was, or February. So right now, the challenge for that is just finding the appropriate social influencers, but it's going well. So you don't do it. I don't do it personally. No, no. So we do the ads and we, you know, hire the social influencers. So yeah, I I know I need to do more. My marketing director keeps telling me, you need to be on, you know, video more, because we get a lot of organic hits when I do my own personal videos, but I don't like them. I'm trying to get better at them.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

Don't get me started. I know. Don't get me started.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

You do great. You do great.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

No, I I I like to be on the screen this way. I'll share a box with someone. I don't like, I don't like to do that. Hey guys. Yeah. I have a joke with my daughter just because you know, everybody, hi, I'm a board certified, you know, uh like dermatologist, board double board certified dermatologist. Like, so yeah, I'm board certified in something. I don't know what, but you know, like trust me, I got you. You know what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Yes, absolutely. But I am gonna start getting much better at that. So I'm gonna start doing more. You're gonna see me on my social media more often, and I think that's that's gonna be good for sales as well. So I'll be on more on TikTok, I'll be more on Instagram, more on Facebook. Oh my god. Penny for the week.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Oh my god, as it should be. Aww.

Pricing Value Customer Fit And Wrap

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Love penny. So I wanna wrap up with you started this because you had a vibe with the bag, you went through hell and back, finding a factory, getting samples made. How did you lock in on the Dino customer? Because again, it is a challenge for a designer to realize that her customer is not Carrie from Sex in the City, or at least the Gen Z iteration.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 26:34

Because there are people like you who, as fabulous as you are, you are not Carrie from Sex in the City or Gen Z iteration. So don't sleep on people from other places who have money and want beautiful things. So how how did you come to the conclusion and say, Dinoa's not for everyone? It could be, but it really isn't. So, how did you come to terms with she is for this person who lives this kind of life? How did you come to that conclusion?

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Well, you know, and when I do design my bags, so I'm not only the CEO and founder, but I am the designer. And I design because my husband and I love to travel. And every time we travel, I'm like, oh, is there a way I could make this easier for us? Or, you know, do I not have to pack 10 purses, you know, to get for every outfit color? So truly, you know, I know you think that it's not for everyone, but it the way my reversible purse is, I have small sizes, I have medium sizes, I have large sizes, and I have different colors and you know, different shapes, so that it does fit everyone, but we're still at a value price. So as the brain increases, you know, it might be more of a higher luxury category priced item. Right now we're a luxury product at a value price. But for those which is, which is, yeah, what's your sweet spot? So the retail for the small one goes from 275 and the large one goes to 395, and that's two for one. So you get two purses in one. And we use LWG certified leathers, we use some of the best hardware. It's a really good value. And the other, you know, let's face it, with today's society, the frustration with the consumer is our closets are cluttered. You have purses of every style, every color, and we want to help declutter the closets. The luxury handbags are not cheap, let's face it. So if we can, and they're not always practical either. So if we can design things that are at a value price in a practical that's appealing to all, I feel like we're on the right path. You know, it's it's just our bags should take the women from day to night to travel. And that's the whole purpose of it is, you know, it whether you're a 20-year-old going from school to work and then traveling on the weekends, or you're mid-30s and you're a professional and you're going to an office meeting, then meeting your girlfriends for a glass of wine at night and then traveling that weekend, whatever they should really move with you. And the multifunctionality and the practicality of it, I think, is gonna be huge. And I really try to think of every aspect of the purse when designing as to how can we make this different and how can we make it special? So I think it really speaks to many, many different ages. But yeah, we look at 30 to 72 as our prime sweet spot, but I have purses for everybody. Oh my God.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Penny, how can we find you, follow you, and get our hands on a reversible purse by Penny Crook Deneau handbags?

SPEAKER_00 29:40

You can follow us on all our social media at ShopDeneau. Where I, as I mentioned, we're at uh MZO, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, our websites at you know, dot shopdeno.com. So anywhere that you can follow us, please do such. We have some great marketing pieces that my marketing director does. I love what we're doing right now with our animal print bags. So would love to have your support and just thank you. Thank you for your time for this interview and this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

It's been great. Oh my goodness. And that is at D-A-N-E-A-U-L-T. Denote. Fabulous. Thank you so much, Penny.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at handbag designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.