Today I decided to purchase a keepsake to remind me of the time I have spent in New York - similar to the seahorse necklace that I acquired in Charleston during the first half of the summer. Like the necklace, I wanted my New York keepsake to remind me immediately of this summer, while at the same time being practical enough to use somewhat regularly.
I ultimately decided to purchase a leather bag from a store three blocks from my apartment. The store is called Joseph Hanna Leather, and many of its leather goods are made right there! The store has its own leather workshop, and as I perused the many bags hanging from the walls and ceilings, one of the men working at the shop was busy sewing up a new piece of luggage. It felt so authentic - even though the bag I ended up selecting was not made in the store (not many of their women's bags were).
My new bag is yellow leather with a thick brown leather strap. I talked the owner down $100 from the original price, so I felt like I got quite a steal! He also pressed my initials into the strap, which was neat because I got to watch how this was done. He even made me a leather keychain with my initials on it for free - which was perfect, because I have been needing a new keychain for my car keys ever since I separated them from my house keys last year.
So now my New York memories will be carried around in a beautiful leather bag that smells wonderful and will be perfect for Fall. When I look at it in the future, I hope I will remember the little leather shop around the corner from my apartment and what fun it was to wander around and discover little shops in the West Village.
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