Friday, July 13, 2012

Vintage Purse a Day Interviews Off The Beaten Strap

I was lucky enough to talk to Jacob Morris, one of the owners of Off The Beaten Strap, an online thrift store that carries an extensive line of vintage purses.

Vintage Purse a Day: How did you come up with the idea of an online bag thrift store? Tell us a little about the great minds behind the concept.

Jacob Morris: The idea for Off The Beaten Strap was thought up by my brother, Ben Morris, our friend Claire Wildman, and I. We each love distinctive things that help define our individual personalities – thrift stores, antique shops, and the like are all perfect places to find these types of items. We thought to ourselves, why not bring that experience online and offer a really niche line of products for people looking for that one unique bag that fits their personality?

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VPaD: What types of products will you carry? Will they be refurbished or upcycled or pretty much remain au naturale?

JM: Off The Beaten Strap will carry all sorts of products. As far as appearance goes, first and foremost, we focus on finding bags that are unique – you’ll only see one of each item pass through our store. Currently in our store room we have everything from camera bags to clutches. As long as someone can carry it and put their stuff in it, that’s what matters to us. We’re essentially an online thrift store, so the products will show a bit of age but for us it only adds to the appeal – we’re also dedicated to ensuring they’re of a high quality.

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VPaD: Who’s your target audience? Is there a distinct demographic or will Off The Beaten Strap appeal to anyone who likes to carry a cool purse?

JM: Off The Beaten Strap was founded by three twenty-somethings, so as a company you might say we’re definitely able to connect with a younger audience – but when it comes down to it, all we want is for the bags we sell to end up in the hands of people who are going to absolutely love them, no matter what age they are. 

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VPaD: Where are you located? Will you ship internationally?

JM: We’re based out of Toronto & Waterloo, Ontario in Canada. No matter where you are in the world compared to us, you’ll be able to buy a bag – we ship internationally free of charge. 

VPaD: What’s the site’s official launch date? Will you be having any special deals to celebrate your grand opening?

JM: Off The Beaten Strap will be launching on Sunday, July 29th. As a special promotion we’ll be giving away coupon codes to our customers to purchase any product at a reduced price. To win a code, people just need to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

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VPaD: Is there anything else you want shoppers to know about Off The Beaten Strap?

JM: Only that we’re excited to launch and cannot wait for people to start checking out Off The Beaten Strap on the regular for unique pieces you won’t find anywhere else!

To connect with Off The Beaten Strap, click these links:

Photos in this post courtesy of Off The Beaten Strap.

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