AKA Agnes Claudstein

Anne Arbor, MI - Saturday, June 8, 2013

Leighann doesn’t go for designer merchandise, with two exceptions: For nail polish she buys Zoya exclusively. For bags and purses it’s Vera Bradley.

If you see a paisley handbag, purse, or backpack these days, there’s a good chance it’s a Vera.

Leighann being Leighann, she sports a jumbo purse she made herself that bears a striking resemblance.

Call it Vera Bradleigh.

So when we discovered a Vera store in the mall where my marathon packet pickup was, we kind of had to check it out. I’ve been to an outlet one in Nashville, but this store looks completely different, particularly the large chandelier and painting behind the counter.

“Who does the design for those?” I ask. 
The saleswoman explains, “We’ve got a whole design team. They like to pick items that are really unique.”

She pronounces it “yoon-ike.” We are in Michigan.

“The designers try to model every store after one of our owners’ homes," she goes on. "So for instance our Twelve Oaks store is modeled after her Florida house.”

I wonder how many stores there are, and if the owner has that many houses. At these prices it is possible.

We browse through patterns and colors, most on the verge of extinction. Leighann points out which ones will soon be retired to online orders only.

She’s torn about buying anything, even with a storewide sale, and I get the feeling she is taking notes as much as shopping.

As we leave we stop to sign the guestbook. Sitting near it is a picture of an elderly woman.

“Is that Vera Bradley?” I ask the sales rep.

“That is Vera Bradley,” she says. “The two founders, Barbara Bradley and Pat Miller, decided they were going to name their company after one of their mothers. And Pat’s mother was something like ‘Agnes Claudstein,’ and Barbara Bradley’s mom was ‘Vera.’ And it was like, which brand would you buy?”

I would personally go out of my way to buy a line called Agnes Claudstein but I see her point.