SHERBURNE – When Wendy Gillette left her position at a local school two years ago, she thought she would be going into the health and wellness field, but what followed was a long journey she feels led her to her life’s destiny of designing high-end handbags.
After struggling to make ends meet by doing random jobs, including healthcare, baby-sitting and house cleaning, Wendy said she had a vision of a handbag. “It was out of the blue and irrelevant to anything to do with where I thought I was heading,” Wendy said. She had never sewn before, but in order to pursue her vision, she got materials and a pattern and called her mother, who immediately came and tried to teach Wendy the basics of sewing.
“We produced some, and people liked them,” Wendy said.
The bags that were produced were a far cry from the vision that Wendy had. “Finally, I told myself, there’s a reason this appeared to you – do something with it,” Wendy said. She decided to create a business, with the hopes of turning it into an empire. The business was called SKJ Lifestyles, a name with a dual meaning: first recognizing Wendy’s three children, whose names begin with S, K and J; and second, an homage to her mission statement, which says the business is “all about providing men and women with strength and knowledge for the journey.” The process soon began to evolve and Wendy began to play with different materials.
“I knew I wanted to compete with the top in the industry,” Wendy said. “One thing just lead to another.”
Wendy explained at some point in the process, she envisioned a woman, and after hearing her daughter say “your eyes are the window to your soul,” Wendy began to work with an illustrator to create the image of the woman she saw. The image was so powerful to Wendy, she decided to have the image embossed on the side of her first bag, which she called Bonnie.
Once the bag was complete, she began scouting out boutiques that would carry her creation. Currently, Wendy’s first handbag is being sold at The Cat’s Meow in Sherburne, Evergreen Gallery in Hamilton, Louel Clothing in Clinton, and J Lemay in Burlington, Vermont, with more locations to be added on a regular basis.
Although SKJ Lifestyles only saw their first bag placed in stores earlier this month, Wendy is already planning for future possibilities, including rendering the bag in other colors and working on more designs. Wendy is also considering the possibility of creating a line of other products in the future, which could include hair and skin products or shoes.
“We have everything on the line right now, and we don’t take that lightly,” Wendy said. She hopes to build her empire in the Sherburne area. Wendy said she hopes to create five to six jobs in the next two years. “I want the company to be know for excellence in any capacity. We provide quality products and love both for our products and for the people receiving them.”
For more information about SKJ Lifestyles or to purchase a handbag, visit www.skjlifestyles.com.