Rachel Elise Bags, Mars Hill, NC
Rachel Elise was founded in 2008 while owner and maker Rachel Aughtry was earning her BFA in Fiber Art. Combining the skills from her degree with her life-long love of sewing, she started selling a collection of bags at the neighborhood coffee shop. Many stockists later (including a few more coffee shops!), Rachel's husband Bo was able to quit his job and work at Rachel Elise as well. They soon relocated their studio from their native Texas to the Blue Ridge Mountains, where they sew, print, and ship each and every RE bag.