We recently connected with Tara Sauvage and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

For our start up convertible bicycle bag brand, I currently do my own content development and social media. It is important to handle social media in house in the beginning of building a brand because the founder/designer is the closest to the product design and functions, so they would be the best one to describe the product. It does not necessarily. have to be the founder/designer that does that social media, but definitely someone in house. A brand may have an intern or assistant that is more social media savvy than the founder, so in that case it will work, as long as it is someone on the team that is super familiar with the brand and product line. As the brand grows we would consider handing off the social media to be managed by someone else, but it will always be handled in house.

I have been doing social media and content development since before FaceBook, and I am up to speed on all the major platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and building content for the mailing system.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Tara Sauvage and I have been in the fashion industry for just over 20 years. I started out as a footwear product developer and eventually went on to design handbags, belts, small leather goods, luggage, fashion accessories, hair accessories, apparel, cell phone accessories and more.

I started Pendolare a few years ago when i saw there was a need in the marketplace for bicycle bags that could be worn on and off the bicycle. Currently most of the bicycle bags in the bicycle industry are plain utilitarian, made from black canvas or nylon and stay on the bike.

Pendolare bicycle bags are fashionable and were designed to be worn on and off the bike. Each bag comes with a removable shoulder strap, so when you park your bike you can take your bag with you. Right now we have 4 different styles to choose from.

Pendolare bags are premium and built to last. They are handcrafted from leather and high tech fabrics.

Each bag comes with a Joey Energy system that is a portable device that keeps your phone charged and has a built in security system as well as other features to make each bag a Smart Bag. The Joey system keeps your phone and other devices charged while you are on the go.

Today, more and more people are investing in bicycles and the electric bike craze is exploding all over the United States and all over the world. Each year thousands of new people are hitting the bicycle trails and more cities are expanding their dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure for cyclists. I am excited to have come up with a product that is convertible and elevates the bicycle experience for experienced or new e- bicycle enthusiasts. Pendolare convertible bicycle bags are right on time with this new trend in the cycling industry. Our bags are gorgeous, well made, and designed to be portable so that they are the perfect accessory for the growing cycling industry.

Pendolare convertible bicycle bags are sold in e-bike shops here in San Diego County and are available online and can be shipped anywhere in the USA. Each bag comes with the option to add the Joey Energy System to make it a smart bag!

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

As a handbag and fashion designer for the past 20 years I have some amazing connections in the industry. I have suppliers all around the world and have worked with factories from several different countries. When it came time to product the leather bags for Pendolare, I knew exacty where to get them made. I am using the same supplier and factory that made my leather handbags for my handbag brand, Rocco & Dante.

One of the most important things to consider when hiring a factory to make your products is trusting their quality. When I went to back to the factory that had produced my bags in the past, I knew that their quality is excellent. I have had customers that purchased the handbags that were made in this factory back in 2009/2010 and they are still using the handbags. I also still have bags that are over 10 years old and still in great condition that were made from this factory. As a result, I knew that the products they would produce for me for Pendolare would be excellent quality and they are.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Pendolare was self funded. I am able to put money into it from my own savings and income. I have not taken out any loans or money from other people to build the brand or run production, it is completely self funded. As a result it has taken longer than I would like to grow the brand, but the brand is debt free. I definitely think that new brands that have access to capital can grow faster because we have all heard the adage, it takes money to make money. That is true. I really start to focus on Pendolare during Covid. The company I was working for based out of Tel Aviv, Israel shut down due to Covid, so I had the time to put into Pendolare. I may be looking into getting more capital in the near future because we will need it to put into Marketing to grow the brand awareness.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.pendolaregear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pendolaregear/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@pendolaregear.com

Image Credits
Photos by Tara Sauvage (myself)