The original Jones Market, a tiny convenience store/laundromat located in East Nashville, was owned by my dad from 1978 to 1994. My dad actually spelled it “Jone’s Market”, and when we tried to tell my dad to correct the spelling and get rid of the apostrophe, he refused to change it.
My sister came up with the idea to resurrect the family company name. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into that place, and it I can’t wait to bring the business back to life. One main difference though is my dad’s store sold malt liquor, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and rolling papers. I hope to not resort to that.
So you may now be wondering– what is Suzanne’s business venture? Not stand up comedy, I hope! Well, here it is in a nutshell: work bags and travel accessories. In my current job at Microsoft, nearly 20% of my time is spent traveling. Finding business-appropriate, travel-friendly bags has not been easy for me. I don’t want a work bag that makes me look like a bike courier or a mountaineer. I also don’t want anything quilted, reminds me of Northern toilet paper. My goal is to introduce high-quality, visually interesting products to the public (for women and men) in just a few months. The company name will be “Jones Market” and the URL will be “jonesmarketbags.com”. The main thing I haven’t disclosed to many people is the design aesthetic. Wanna know what my designs will look like? You’ll have to check back here later 
I’m just at the beginning of my long journey. I am reading lots of trade publications, meeting lots of helpful people, getting to do grown-up business things like form an LLC, register an EIN number with the IRS, look into trademarks, copyrights, patents, non-disclosure agreements and learn as much as I can about textiles in my spare time.
Here are things I am doing the next 2 weeks, so you know what I am up to:
- Meeting graphic designers
- Cutting up laptop bags, work totes, backpacks and luggage just to understand materials and construction
- Trying to find a template for a non-disclosure form so I can send my design to my first manufacturing contact
- Opening up a business bank account
If you know anyone who might be interesting for me to talk to, let me know. It doesn’t have to be someone in the design/luggage/handbag industry. If you know any good contacts (small-business accountants, lawyers, web developers, successful entrepreneurs, anyone really), feel free to pass along the name.
Cheers! And thanks for visiting
