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Purses With Personality

Jericho, Vermont - April 11, 2008

Laura Zambarano calls motherhood the most important job she's ever had.

"Whenever you do something you love and enjoy, it always works out in the end," she says.

Even when her first-grader and kindergartner aren't underfoot-- they're nearby in photos. But when the Jericho native decided to leave a career as a Spanish teacher to raise kids, she worried she'd miss daily interactions with adults.

"I need to stay mentally challenged. I would say that's a difficulty about being a stay-at-home mom," she explains. "They're in school six or seven hours a day. I needed something to do so here we are."

She wanted balance-- and found that balance-- in her own business: Laura Z Designs. Actually, the business found her... again, thanks to those kids.

"I started because I needed a practical bag to carry my kids' things in. My brother bought me a beautiful designer bag and it fell apart. I was mad," says Zambarano.

The mom took a passion for sewing she learned from her mother and set out to create a better bag. Other accessories, too. With funky fabrics, bright colors and a single goal: "I don't want to create something that's not useful."

And just two years after launching this sideline to keep her busy-- she is. Laura Z has a growing list of wholesale accounts and direct web sales. She sold 350 accessories in 2006 and 850 last year. With sales more than doubling, this business-minded mom is looking to expand her operation.

"My goal is to keep all my business in Vermont," she says.

She one day hopes to have a team of home sewers to fill orders-- ten or twelve other mothers.

"For those women who want to make some money but stay at home and be a mom," she explains.

But it's a crowded market-- there are a lot of purse-makers out there. Laura Z hopes her eye for color and pattern sets her apart. Plus, she hopes to convince other moms having kids doesn't mean they can't carry flashy gear.

"We're all individuals and we have to keep our individuality. Just because you're a mom doesn't mean you have to be boring," she says.

Motherhood is still Laura Zambarano's most rewarding job, but she loves watching her other baby grow, too... her Made in Vermont fashion line.

"I like to think of it as a piece of art," she smiles.

Click here to visit her website.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont