We Might Just Make It After All by Elyce Arons

I can remember coveting my first Kate Spade bag. It was the most gorgeous black on black messenger bag, and I saw it at Neiman Marcus. The year was 1993. It was around $200 and I actually squirreled away money so I would be able to pay for it in cash. In the 1990s if you carried a Kate Spade messenger bag, you were just downright cool. "We Might Make It After All" by Elyce Arons is the story about how that bag, and the Kate Spade company was formed. Elyce was Kate's best friend in college. Together with Kate's boyfriend Andy Spade, the three moved to New York after college where they came up with the idea to launch an affordable, yet chic, handbag company. The name was based on Kate Brosnahan's first name and Andy Spade's last name. He came up with the idea to put small name tag type labels on the front of the bags. Making the bags seemed to be easy, but the hard part was working trade shows and getting stores like Barney's and Neiman Marcus to carry them. Along with their other partners, Brosnahan and Arons hustled to get their bags into all the major stores. Eventually, years later, Neiman Marcus would buy 56 percent of the company and make Arons, Brosnahan and Spade millions. This is the story about how a small group of friends built an empire, and in the capable hands of Arons it is a fascinating read. To buy this book on Amazon click here.