We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Hodge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I lived in Alexandria, Virginia when September 11th happened. I worked in a Federal Building and from that day on panic attacks set in every time I got on the Metro to go to work. We decided to relocate to a small town in North Carolina. Fuquay Varina was a small town that you would imagine in a Hallmark movie. Vacant store fronts were on our Main Street and I always wanted to be in business for myself. I had tried Direct Sales and was quite good at it. I went to a home show for a party and when the bag arrived 7 Made in China slips fell out of the packaging. I knew in that instant Destiny Handbags was going to happen. I set out to find seamstresses local and fabric suppliers that were based in the USA. I wanted to make bags with women who would make the money here locally, and use American Made fabrics to keep our citizens in jobs here in the USA making fabric. I often say we are bringing manufacturing back to the USA 1 handbag at a time.

Michelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a mom of 4 I know that bags need to have a lot of functionality. Destiny Handbags can be designed by you or you can buy off the rack. All of our fabrics are Made in the USA. Our seamstresses are local and we will stay that way forever. We created our bags out of washable fabrics. They can be packed into a suitcase and taken out for when you reach your destination. Our most popular bags are lined in a vinyl material so you can wash out any spills immediately before you even get home. The bags are also able to be monogrammed at your own local shop if you decide to personalize it. We have bags as small as cosmetic or toiletry bags up to our biggest bag and most popular the beach bag Patricia. All of our bags are named after loved ones in our family. I have used this popular bag style as my carry on for the plane, beach trips it is a must, and I also use one as my business bag.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I was a stay at home mom with 4 kids and we moved to North Carolina from Virginia so I could raise our kids and be in a country setting vs the DC Metro area. My husband is a postal worker and I knew I wanted to start this business. I estimated what I would need for a website, fabrics, pattern testers, start up funds and all the notions to create a bag. I came up with a goal and heard about people throwing newspapers in the middle of the night for 2 or 3 hours a night. My husband thought I was crazy but I just driven. It took a few nights of friends watching the kids and my husband coming with me to realize I was in a safe area and I was off and running. I worked 3 hours a night 7 days a week to be able to stay home with my kids during the day and fund my business. I was not going to take out any loans or ask for help from my family. I knew I had to do this on my own. It took me 2 years of throwing newspapers every night to fund Destiny Handbags. I am proud of myself for being able to launch without any debt. It was hard when a seamstress would come on board and bags wouldn’t be up to our standards. I would think of the money lost in paying the seamstress and the fabric wasted. But I was able to give back to charities for women staring over with donated handbags. I also donate any left over fabrics to people who want to learn to sew. I had a dream that I just couldn’t let go of and I made it happen!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Destiny Handbags started as a party plan company with Designers across the USA selling our bags. I was a stay at home mom and life was going great business wise. Personally me and my husband decided to do a trial separation. I had to get a job outside of the home and thought I could handle a full time job, my business, and being a mom. Business slowed down and thankfully me and my husband got back together. But Covid soon came into play and we couldn’t do parties anymore. I decided to go wholesale and purchase a mobile handbag boutique. I found a passion for vendor events and travel around to South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina doing vendor events. I am not someone who thinks that things do no need to evolve. Destiny Handbags is a company that was founded by a woman on a mission to bring manufacturing back to the USA. If a party plan is what works best I am not afraid to go back to that. At this time we are having great success with the vendor events and our mobile boutique. We are gearing up for a massive wholesale launch this Fall and doing Wholesale Markets around the country. Soon Destiny Handbags will be a household name.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://destinyhandbags.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyhandbagsofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyHandbagsOfficial/