Cuddigan Leather - Maple Lake, MN

Jen Smail started sewing clothes at the age of 7 with the remnants of her sister’s wedding dress. Born into a family of artists in rural Minnesota, Jen found herself constantly immersed in various material craft.

Fast-forward to today and Jen is now the founder and owner of Custom Bagfitters in Maple Lake, Minnesota. Years ago, Jen started making bags out of personal interest, and when friends noticed the bags she carried that she made herself, they began asking her if she could make them the same. She quickly outgrew her in-home and tenant operation and made the leap to her own store in 2017.

Today, Jen has customers all over the country requesting custom-made bags of various patters, often with custom fabric or material requests. As the name states, all of Jen's bags are in fact custom, and this seems to contribute much to her notable business growth. 

"It's hard to keep up with the demand, and it's almost all by word of mouth. My customers are my advertisers. They'll wear their bags and, next thing you know, their girlfriends are asking them where they got their bags." 

Jen opened her shop space on Main Street in Maple Lake and will be upgrading to a larger space later this year to increase production and offer a more immersive in-shop experience. Stay tuned for an updated story on Jen and her growing team at Custom Bagfitters.