Blair and I had a wonderful time in NYC this past weekend. Starting with a smooth trip down after work on Thursday, we had blue skies both Friday and Saturday. We stayed with one of my best college friends in Brooklyn and met with our factory in the Garment District. It was a lot of fun to see the factory floor and meet the faces we’ve been emailing back and forth for so many months.

After our factory meeting we went to several vendor stores in the area to look at trims and hardware for our bags. I felt like a kid in a candy shop! There were little drawers- floor to ceiling and wall to wall- of studs, pulls, clips, clasps, and more. Then we went to a store that specializes in zippers. Unfortunately photography was not permitted in the stores so we can’t share that part of our trip, but you’ll see our favorite picks on the final bags of the premier EKLUND GRIFFIN collection!!

After the business portion of the day we walked around Manhattan and caught the end of the Union Square Greenmarket. We also popped in to several of my favorite NYC stores including ABC, Fishs Eddy, and Madewell. The day ended with some smaller boutiques in Brooklyn, hot chocolate, and a gallery opening for 4 performance artist acts.

Following a leisurely morning and brunch on Saturday, Blair and I hit the road for home. It feels good to be back home, but we’re already excited for our next trip down. We are anxious to sample the collection so we can show you what has been swirling around in our heads for so long… but it is of the utmost importance to us that it’s all done right. That said, we may have a little something to whet you appetite soon!

Hope your week is off to a great start! Hayley