We should all do what we can in our daily lives to remember that we are glorious and powerful – Tracee Ellis Ross
I've always been a DIY-er and my creative gene most definitely comes from my mom. She along with my brother are the best at sewing clothing. My Christmas gift from my parents in 2014 was a sewing machine. I started my sewing journey sewing pot holders and a deep conditioning cap (that I still use today). Very shortly after I started making my own handbags. Why? Because I didn't want the same bag every other woman had. I wanted what I wore to be slightly different and something that made me feel stylish and confident.
My name is Cheryl and I created Double Clutched in 2015 to give women more variety and options that reflected their personal style. What you see in the stores lacks uniqueness and function that compliments each individual's daily wardrobe. In the beginning, narrowing down on what options to offer was hard and as with any handcrafted startup finding my people and money didn't come easy.
But persistence paid off, I hit the ground running getting accepted in the big holiday craft shows and was featured on a local PBS special, Broad & High and a started to find more of my people and my confidence in my business grew.
Each day in business gives me a new day to create. It's another chance to deliver a product that will improve your daily life and add a bit of color and positive confidence to their day. I love the days where just the right outfit or accessories or my natural hair has just the right about of defined curls and frizz give me an extra mental umpf. I want my bags to do the same for others. I love having a creative outlet that other's can wear and be helpful to them.
As Double Clutched has grown, I felt it was time to give it a new look, a fresher and more modern feel and a more focused approach to style and function. In 2019 I re-branded Double Clutched to 86 & Norman.
86 is the year I was born in and Norman was the street my aunt’s house was on growing up where I spent a lot of time with family.
86 & Norman is my idea of how to be bold, confident, and uniquely beautiful.
I aim for 86 & Norman to be available in places I can't physically travel to, bring awareness to other creators and handcrafted brands, and have a standalone location in addition to the mobile shop.
Don't be shy! See what I'm up to? Sign up for 86 & Norman Mail! Also, let’s keep up with each other on Instagram or Facebook.
What you can't find about me on Google? During the day I'm a full-time Lead Business Analyst, I used to have a cake decorating business, and the official business mascot is a Heinz 57 named Bailey Mae.
But who are we kidding? That's probably all on Google.
Would you like to see me in action? Hear my lovely speaking voice? Check out my segment on WOSU Broad & High.