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Renee Lee spends her time helping independent retailers in the southeastern U.S. sell a variety of woman's handbags under the Vera Bradley line — a $461 million global business.
But in the week leading up to Valentine's Day, Lee took on a second role: Florida tour guide to Joan Bradley Reedy, a genuine rock star for Vera Bradley, a brand with a devoted following in several coveted demographics, from tweens to baby boomers. Reedy is the sister of the co-founder, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, and the daughter of the actual Vera Bradley.
Lee took Reedy, now a brand ambassador, to at least six stores and boutiques statewide that sell Vera Bradley bags and accessories. The last two stops were in Sanibel and Sarasota. In Sarasota, Reedy was the special guest at Molly's Share the Love Luncheon, a see-and-be-seen event sponsored by Molly's! A Chic and Unique Boutique. Proceeds from the event benefited the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation.
Reedy met with customers and spread the Vera Bradley story — an inspiring tale for all entrepreneurs. The company was founded in 1982, when Bradley Baekgaard and a friend thought the women's travel accessories industry lacked feminine-looking products. The company, publicly traded and based in Fort Wayne, Ind., now has a diverse line of products sold in 64 retail stores and more than 3,000 specialty stores. Dillard's is one of the most recent stores to introduce Vera Bradley lines.
“We work very hard as a company to present a lifestyle image,” Lee tells Coffee Talk. “We partner ourselves after a Ralph Lauren or a Tommy Bahama. We built a lifestyle around a brand.”
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