Satchel
Becoming an entrepreneur beats getting a "real job."
A native of Covington, Louisiana, Elizabeth Seeger graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005 with a BFA in Fashion Design. Hailing from a long line of hard-headed and talented German women, Elizabeth was armed with a strong sense of independence, lots of love and a few vintage sewing machines. These blessings, coupled with a naïve can-do attitude and the fear of getting a “real job,” led her to open Satchel in October 2006. She's been designing and making leather bags ever since, as well as trying her hand at the occasional odd request from friends such as leather beer koozies and guitar straps, which are now part of the product line. Other than making things, Elizabeth is intensely passionate about good food (she makes lunch for everyone at the shop daily), live music, cozy homes, campfires, being by the water, champagne, and bourbon.
“Leather, love, coffee, champagne, shop dogs, sit down lunches at sewing machines, and really long to do lists in really fat old fashioned notebooks. These are the things that bind us, and that make our bags your bags. Oh, and spray adhesive. Lots of spray adhesive.”
three things i can't live without
Vaseline as lipgloss, mayonnaise, coffee. If I get a fourth, it’d be bourbon.
you'd never guess that
I learned to snow ski when I was 3 years old. There was no snow growing up in Louisiana, but we got an extra winter break during Mardi Gras season! My dad was an airline pilot, so we got to go skiing!
i'm thankful for
I try to be thankful every day, for absolutely everything, even though I don’t always succeed! I have been blessed with a very good, very fortunate life, and I’m truly thankful! I have a great family, wonderful friends, excellent employees and a beautiful town to live in! I’m so thankful for making it more than ten years in business, and proud of the amazing people who work with me that have helped make it all happen! I couldn’t do it without them.
my next venture is
We have opened Port City Sewing Factory! 2017 was a test run year, and we only produced for Satchel while we worked through logistics. In January 2018 we started meeting with new clients who were interested in using our services. Currently, we are working with another leather goods company based in Charleston, a local Savannah artist, and another menswear designer. We specialize in small batch production of sewn goods. Any inquiries for your project/product to be considered can be sent to portcitysewingfactory@gmail.com.
i started my business...
When I was 23 years old. Oh man, what I didn’t know that I didn’t know then! Lots of learning on the job & trial by fire, but those are the best lessons.
my personal motto is
Because Nice Matters. (My mother got me a sign years ago that says this, it hangs in the back stairwell of the shop). OR Work Hard & Be Nice to People.
-Just because you can fit into it doesn’t mean it fits you.
-May I have extra sauce with that?
What makes savannah for you?
Its beauty. Lots of places aren’t nearly this pretty. As a visual person, this makes for a much more pleasant quality of life. I really love being by the water. Life goal: house on the water. It’s peaceful and really puts things in persepective.
Elizabeth Seeger
Owner
912.233.1008 // 4 E Liberty // Savannah, GA 31401