Our American West Handbag From ShopNBC Is Going Back, Handcrafted Or Not

It’s rather ironic that we just got a press release from ShopNBC saying that its debut of American West Leather Handbags was its most successful purse launch in the network’s history. That’s because we bought one of those purses, and it is sitting in our trunk right now, ready to be repackaged so we can take it to the PO later today and return it.

The Today’s Top Value was a Santa Fe Spirit Cow Hide and Leather Hobo last Thursday, April 28. Since we love the western look, we ordered it as a birthday gift to ourselves.

We received it this week, and it is beautiful. But the furnishings on the purse, a silver-toned ring and hook, don’t sit flat. That may not bother some people, but it would drive anal-retentive folks like us nuts.

So we will soon be calling ShopNBC to see if they will foot the bill for the shopping costs for us to send it back and exchange it. If they won’t pay that cost, we will just return it — not exchange it.

Nonetheless, the handcrafted American West line had 12 sellouts last week, including the Today’s Top Value. We wonder how many are going back to ShopNBC, like ours.

“Each American West handbag embodies the story and spirit of the artisan who created it, making each piece truly one-of-a-kind,” ShopNBC said in its press release Thursday. “The distinctive style and eye-catching details of the collection resonated strongly with ShopNBC viewers.”

Too bad those artisans couldn’t get the hardware on our purse right.

The American West Handbag shows racked up 12 sellouts including the Prairie Rose Cow Hide and Leather Tote, the Roses are Red Stud Detail Leather Tote, and the Peek-a-Boo Tooled Leather Shoulder Bag, to mention a few. Additional top sellers included the Santa Fe Spirit Cow Hide Wallet and the Boot Scoot Boogie Stud Detail Leather Tote.

“We are thrilled with the customer response to our debut on ShopNBC,” said Louise de Kok, Designer & Owner of American West Handbags, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. “It has been very inspiring to work with such great talent at ShopNBC and the team of professionals who put on a great show, as we witnessed an overwhelming reception to our brand. We look forward to the next airing and showcasing more premium Western handbags and accessories.”

This was ShopNBC president Bob Ayd’s canned comment:

We are delighted about the successful launch of American West Handbags on our network. The American West brand is truly a unique find in the national landscape of designer handbags. Through a joint effort and great attention to detail, we were able to successfully showcase their story and unique heritage across our multi-channel platform. This is the beginning of a great partnership with more exciting offers from American West to
come.”