Gather ’round the campfire, girls, and lend me your ears. The tale you’re about to hear is no meager yarn or fable, no children’s fairytale. No, it’s one of the greatest adventure stories of the modern era and antiquity. Why? Because it’s true! — as true as the North Star!
Sit close, steel your nerves, and open your mind. Behold! Now begins the Legend of Zella and the Quest for the Gathered Tote…
Once upon a time (around 2007), in a place far, far away, there lived a pint-sized beauty lover named Karen.
Despite her best intentions, every time Karen left the house, she brought along everything but the kitchen sink.
Along with her regular cat lady accoutrements — her wallet, phone, keys, snacks, cat treats, 12 tubes of gloss, a pair of backup shoes, a spare bra (because you never know…) and extra socks — she also brought her cameras, lenses and laptop with her a lot of the time.
The villagers in her small town didn’t understand. “Dude,” they’d whisper to one another and point as she passed, “what’s that chick’s deal? Why does she need three bags? Who carries that much stuff?”
“I don’t know,” another would say. “I heard that she keeps a cat in one of them and a fully cooked turkey in the other!”
Then, one day, everything changed. Karen discovered the $68 Zella Gathered Tote at a local merchant’s shoppe, also known as Nordstrom (it’s also online at nordstrom.com).
Right away, Karen saw its potential. “Hmm…” she wondered. “Although technically a gym bag, this thing will serve me well. It’s slim-fitting and deep, yet still lightweight. It’s also big enough for a laptop, two cameras, a medium-sized travel makeup bag and my gym clothes. Or, I could just use it as a casual tote, or maybe even a diaper bag someday.
“I don’t think El Hub would mind carrying it, either, because it’s black and not too girly at all.”
Karen slung the main strap across her body and happily skipped all the way home; she also delighted in the knowledge that she could have carried it by the padded, comfy double handles as well.
[Continue reading…]
