Nearly eight years ago, after Crystal
Figlietti's son was born, Crystal was
working full time and taking her son out
with her every chance she could get.
She needed great organization. Her
main thought was, 'Wouldn't it be great
to have a bag organizer to hold all the
diapering gear so that I could use any
one of the zillions of totes that I already
have?' That was the seed that started
the Diaper Bag Express product.
Crystal's first company name was Zu
Kobo, which means small company in
Japanese, and Diaper Bag Express was
her first product. She started with ideas
that she sketched out and had many
samples made and tested before she
got each one just right. She started
developing more products and started
a web-based store with her totes in
2003. When her daughter was born in
2004, she changed the name to 'Sammy
Designs'.
Sammy Designs specializes in bags that
organize baby and toddler gear. Her
products are designed and tested by
parents and children with ease of use in
mind. They fill the need that a diaper
bag itself may not address for all people.
The also fill the need for a masculine
diaper bag. The Diaper Bag Express is a
fantastic bag for men, they can just leave
it in the car or on the stroller and don't
have a shoulder bag to tote.
Sammy Designs number one seller is the
Diaper Bag Express, in the color black.
Crystal, along with her customers, think
the unique features of the product and
the unisex quality of the black color,
make it a great baby gift for a new mom
or dad. Any parent who has to deal with
the diapering gear for any amount of
time will appreciate the compactness,
stylishness and functionality of the Diaper
Bag Express. It really simplifies those
quick changes...'Ya gotta be quick unless
you want more of a mess to clean up.'
Says Crystal.
Crystal shares 'Anyone who has a baby
or toddler will appreciate and enjoy
Diaper Bag Express. We really believe
that this product is the ultimate way to
keep diapering supplies organized for
travel. It couldn't be simpler, really.
Keep it stocked and in your car or stroller.
As a mother of three, with two still in
diapers, I don't worry about packing a
diaper bag at all! I use my purse and the
Diaper Bag Express is already in the car.
If I need snacks I'll fill our Little Pocket
snack pouch and put it in my bag.
If I need toys, crayons, paper or the like
I fill our Tag-along and place that in my
tote or even attach it to the stroller.'
As you can see, Crystal not only makes
great products, she also uses them.
She goes on to share 'Children require
stuff all the time...food, diapers, toys,
sweaters, extra clothes, what have
you. There are many diapers bags on
the market, and many lunch boxes; but
there is not something geared specifically
for diapering supplies or for snacks, like
our Little Pocket. When I found myself
looking for the item that could hold
diapering supplies and fit inside my
current tote bag, or backpack, I couldn't
find it, so I made it. It is our number
one seller, the Diaper Bag Express.'
Sammy Designs offers unique
products that are simple solutions to
common problems. They think between
the lines. Instead of focusing on diaper
bags themselves they focused on the
other components that could make a diaper
bag, or any bag, function better.
Sammy Designs is the Winner of
numerous awards! March 2006 - Silver
Award - Family Review Center (Diaper
Bag Express). March 2006 - Best Product
- Orca Communications Limited, LLC
(Diaper Bag Express). Spring 2006 -
Designers on the Rise - StyleBakery.com
(Company Ingenuity). Fall 2005 / Winter
2006 - Designers on the Rise - StyleBakery.
com (Company Ingenuity). 2005
- Best Baby Products - MyPreciousKid.
com (Diaper Bag Express). 2004 - Seal
of Approval Award - National Parenting
Center (Our Little Pocket Snack Pouch).
Sammy Designs will be taking their
products to the ABC Kids Expo in Las
Vegas in September. This will be the first
trade show where they will have a booth
dedicated to just Sammy Design products.
They are very excited to have the
opportunity to share their products with
so many shop owners.
Crystal shared that if she had it to do
all over again, she would have started
to take her products to the trade shows
right from the beginning, instead of
relying on the web. The trade shows
would have given more shops the ability
to see the products and to start offering
it to their customers.
The most memorable moment in the
history of Sammy Designs had to be receiving
the first shipment of goods from
the manufacturer in China. There were
boxes and boxes all with the company
name Sammy Designs all over them.
That was a good feeling for Crystal, to
see the end product of years of nurturing
the idea into a reality.
The biggest hurdle for them has been the
move they made recently. 'We moved
home, warehouse and family from the
San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra
Foothills.' Crystal said. 'We changed fax
numbers a few times because we moved
to a rural area. It was a challenge to
keep all the paperwork organized. It was
well worth it though!'
Crystal, along with her husband and
three children now live in the Sierra
Foothills. Here they share their life with
two cats, two puppies, a fish, a pond
full of frogs, a small vineyard, a veggie
garden and small fruit tree orchard
and acres of wonderful countryside to
explore.
As we close, Crystal has shared her
words of wisdom with us. 'When
it comes to most things that take
courage, you usually have to take a
gamble and it usually costs some money.
If you have a little money, use a little
money, if you have a lot of money, still
use a little money. If you have the notion
to do something and it causes no
harm to anyone then at least try it. Life
is too short to ask yourself, 'What if?' Did
I mention that I also went to Hawaii on a
blind date? Yeah, I never wanted to say,
'What if he was the ONE?' He wasn't the
ONE, but that's another story.'
Diaper Bag Express
is the ultimate
in making any bag
a diaper bag.
Specially designed pockets inside and out,
with large changing pad,
allows for thorough organization
and convenience.
Unisex design is a practical & stylish addition
to your tote bag or on its own. Perfect for mom or dad.
