Dear friends, 

We are asking for your help. The roof of our sewing factory, Port City Sewing Factory, blew off during Hurricane Helene. This is where we produce the majority of our leather goods, and a lot of our leather and material got wet. We had received a huge shipment of leather just days before, and the rolls were standing up against the wall that became the most exposed when the tin roof came off. Bolts of lining fabric that were stored on open shelving also got wet. Numerous bins of our scrap leather that we use to make our smaller items took on water. Notebooks & binders with instructions… paper pattern pieces hanging on the wall… almost finished product that was getting its final touches laid out on tables… all wet and covered in debris. We have salvaged as much as possible, though a lot of it will need to be replaced. 

While the roof of the factory is currently tarped, thanks to our very helpful & skilled friends at The Savard Company who sprang into action quickly, we don’t think that staying there during roof replacement is currently in our best interest. In light of entering into what is usually our busiest production season, as well as two more months of hurricane season left, we’ve made the decision to secure a temporary space and have spent this past week moving our entire factory operation. We will remain there through the holidays. The factory crew has been nothing but amazing, positive and incredibly helpful during this impromptu transition. 

We are optimistic that our insurance will cover quite a bit, but we have no guarantees on what or when that will come through. So currently we are having to come out of pocket for all of this, and honestly, we just don’t have the reserves. Sales have never returned to pre-Covid levels. It’s an election year and everyone is holding their breath on the economy. We understand that luxury bags are not at the top of your shopping list. But when hard times hit, the overhead and payroll do not slow down. We are dedicated to our hard-working team to ensure that their livelihood remains solid. We are asking you to please support your local business and restaurants, and to shop here in Savannah, right now, and for the holidays. 

How you can help now: Come shop! In person or online. Buy a gift card. For someone else or as a little treat for yourself later. Place your custom orders for Christmas now. Anything helps, even if you can only afford a cuff or a tassel. 

We don’t like asking…. It’s not in our nature. *cue tears from the crying corner.* We prefer to be the ones helping others and donating to your auctions. But right now, we need it. We are so grateful to have remained in business for 18 years and we are fortunate to have weathered many ups and downs (no pun intended). Please help us through this one. 

 If you’d like to donate without receiving leather goods in return, our Venmo link is @satchelsavannah or PayPal hello@shopsatchel.com.

When things return to normal, you just might get something in the mail. 

P.S. Fun fact: The anniversary of opening our doors 18 years is actually this week, October 10th. My, how time flies…