Part of the Oscars Part of the Oscars (February 27, 2004)

Local cigar box purses chosen as gifts for nominees
by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

When Amy Schwab watches the Academy Awards on Sunday, she'll be focused on the women's accessories. Her cigar box purses were chosen as gifts for the actors nominated for lead and supporting roles, 20 altogether.

She created each purse specifically with the actress - or the actor's significant other - in mind, matching their coloring or what she knew of their style.

"I looked at RenŽe Zellweger," she said, as an example. "She's fair but she wears bright red lipstick. I used a fabric that is not 'in your face' but has red in it."

Schwab recalled being creative as a child in Eugene, Ore., where she accompanied her artist mother to her booth at a Saturday market. "I would paint rocks and sell them for a penny," she said with a laugh.

After retiring three years ago as a flight attendant with American Airlines, Schwab had more time to indulge her love of color and art.

"I always had a love for art, whether painting children's furniture or painting rooms in a funky way," she said. The trend in cigar box purses caught her eye but she wanted to do them her own way.

Her way works quite well, according to Cindy Cooper, co-owner of 560 Main, the downtown Pleasanton store where they have been for sale since early summer.

"I probably sell one a week," said Cooper. "I like the quality, the attention to detail." The purses sell for $80-$150, and matching fabric belts cost $35-$42.

"Young girls like the kitsch-iness of them, and women like them because they are unique," added Cooper.

Schwab said her husband Michael is completely supportive of anything she does artwise. They have two daughters, Mikaela, 8, and Julia, 5, and as soon as Julia started kindergarten in the fall Schwab had more time to create and market the purses. She founded her company - Amy Schwab Designs - with business manager Shawn Copenhagen about four months ago.

"It's been a wild ride the last four or five months since I started this company," said Schwab. As the volume grew, so did the heap of fabric on the floor, which inspired her to create belts to match the purses or be worn alone.

At Christmas time a local magazine listed the purses under its "Gifts to Give" section. The rave reviews soon reached the ear of another Pleasanton resident, Julie Kenney, the Bay Area account manager of Buzz Bags, a company that specializes in luxury gift bags for celebrities and the "A-List" for the Academy Awards.

"Amy Schwab's belts and purses are exactly what we were looking for," said Kenney. "Our gift bags feature high quality, eye-catching products."

While Schwab's accessories are not in the goodie bags to be handed out on Oscar night at the Kodak Theatre, they will be part of a high end, opulent package. "We're calling it the 'Other Bag,'" said Buzz Bag co-founder Debra Scott. "It gives companies who don't have access to the very hard to penetrate 'official' bag a chance to both familiarize major movie stars with their brand and piggyback on any peripheral Oscar press."

Schwab is enjoying the popularity of her creations plus the Oscar buzz. "It may be short-lived but I'm having fun with it," she said. "It's exciting to think the purses I put together by hand will end up being used by Charlize Theron and Diane Keaton."

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