Handbag fan launches internet shop
KATE Waugh is such a lover of handbags that when she decided to set up her own business there was only one product to sell.
So this spring she launched her internet business Emotional Baggage, selling handbags sourced from all over the world.
The 36-year-old, who has brittle bone disease, worked on the helpline for the Disability Rights Commission for six years and then with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights before she decided to strike out on her own.
“I have always loved handbags,” said Kate, of Hopwas, near Lichfield.
“And the name Emotional Baggage just came to me because there is something emotional about buying a handbag.”
Kate, whose personal collection features more than 25 bags, is looking to offer a wide range of brands such as Waterlily, Charlotte Reid and Marta Ponti.
And she is already gaining a celebrity following after West End actress Sophie Bould snapped up one of her choices.
“I go to trade shows to find the bags,” Kate said. “But I have to remember to do more than just buy the ones I like.
“It has always been bags for me. I have bags which are more than ten years old but I love them too much to throw them away.”
Kate, who was born with her bone condition, is determined to achieve all she can – despite the fact the illness leaves her at risk of recurrent fractures.
“I was born with broken bones and I can’t even begin to tell you how many I have broken since then,” she said. “But it gets better as you get older as you learn to manage it.
“I have an electric wheelchair and an adapted vehicle so I can get about independently.”
* For more information visit www.emotionalbaggage.co.uk
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