We had the good fortune of connecting with Jackie Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jackie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?

The art of living the life I was ultimately meant to live is the driving factor to my success. Being able to connect with people who see you and support you in all your facets, and vice versa, has truly been one of the most empowering components of my life and my brand. For me the door is always open to connect with someone, hear their story, encourage their dreams. I strive for authentic, organic connections in my relationships and in my work. The success of my brand is a direct result of this honest endeavor. The small businesses, consumers and fellow artisans I work with daily see crafting these bags and creating my art as an extension of my love for the art of life. tony B. is about so much more than making bags, it’s about connecting and collaborating – where customers become friends and a network forms around your business that fuels you to become the best version of yourself and to continue creating with passion and purpose.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

Having never been a label chaser I’ve always appreciated smaller, independent bag designers. I remember distinctly, about ten years ago, admiring a bag I was using at the time and thinking to myself, ‘I’d really love to design bags’; well, as my mother would say, “careful what you wish for.”

During the holiday season eight years ago I crafted fold-over clutches with beautiful fabric from Mood in NYC and gave them as gifts. Everyone loved them and I decided to put together a small collection and feature them at a weekend market the following spring. As fate would have it I was approached by a representative of Green Eileen. A concept company started by Eileen Fisher, Green Eileen aimed to reduce landfill waste by repurposing and recycling donated Eileen Fisher clothing. The representative asked if I would be able to create up-cycled bags with these gently used Eileen Fisher garments. This was a pivotal moment that pushed me to expand my creative potential, hone my skills, and provided the framework for my future relations with small business owners who would become my customers as well. I collaborated with Green Eileen for several years while still continuing to expand my personal line.

Today I still personally handcraft every bag that comes out of my small home studio. From design, patterning, leather and hardware sourcing, photo shoots, accounting and shipping -it is nonstop action. I take considerable care to honor the beauty of the leather and seek to create a bag that wears well, is timeless and functional. When I have a moment to stop and see where I have taken what was literally a random thought to a full fledged business with a solid wholesale and retail base…well, it’s pretty cool.
tony B. forms so much of my life and for this I am incredibly grateful and committed, to my customers and to the work. Remember, believe in yourself and others, say yes to opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone, be open to meeting and getting to know new people, educate yourself, use the best materials and tools for your budget, and take a moment to pause when things get too hectic.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

My friends are super foodies like me, who also love checking in with my diverse retail stockists and exploring the best of the Hudson Valley.  My idea of a perfect day begins with an early morning hot yoga class at Rebel Yoga Studios in Thornwood, followed by a morning coffee run across the bridge to Salonnière Coffee Bar in Nyack, a fantastic artsy river town to stroll through and get inspo from. Right next door Archive Home carries a superb collection of vintage clothing and accessories, modern housewares, and one of a kind jewelry pieces. Lunch at Mint Premium Foods in Tarrytown is a true sensory experience, part cheese shoppe and eclectic gourmet market as well, it’s a gourmands dream. A stop-off at Lola in White Plains for fashion retail therapy and socializing is an absolute must followed by any and all scoops from Ice Cream Social down the road. As a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick for 2020 and 2021, The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry with its crafty cocktails and stellar dinner, well I’d say that’s a perfect ending to a perfect day!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I can say in all honestly I would want to recognize and thank every person who has travelled with me on this journey the past eight years. My husband for his ceaseless encouragement, my children for always checking in and asking how the business is going, my mother for her tireless ear, all the small business owners, friends, retail customers and online consumers – thank you, you have made tony B. what it is today.
More specifically, when I decided to transition from fabric into crafting leather bags I was introduced to a boutique in Westchester called Lola, owned by Denise Elias and Dawn Pasacreta. Before we ever met I remember traveling down to the shoppe for the first time, taking in their vibe and aesthetic and knowing that this was my goal – to create bags that would hold their own next to some of the other very well known brands they carried. As a self taught artisan I spent the next couple of years honing my craft, developing my style, and forming what would become tony B. I have worked with Denise and Dawn, and their incredible staff for several years now and they know how extraordinarily grateful I am.  Their support and encouragement gave me the confidence to fully develop tony B. into the brand it is today.

Website: www.tonybny.com

Instagram: tonyb.ny

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