A local entrepreneur has gone back to her roots to make an Australian accessories company a household name in Richmond.
Last year Tracy Murphy founded Dandaloo Accessories, the U.S. distribution company for Australian accessory label LouenHide.
Before branching out on her own, Murphy worked in the business development department for New Visions, New Ventures, a local organization that helps people start their own business.
“The clients I met while working at New Visions, New Ventures inspired me to start my own business,” she said.
With that inspiration, she has since moved the business out of her Glen Allen home and leased warehouse space in Goochland. The products, a mix of colorful hand and shoulder bags, are available in 10 stores in Virginia.
Murphy said that “dandaloo” is a word that Australians use for pretty and that she picked it to represent her hometown.
“I knew I wanted to have a business name which related the product to Australia,” she said.
Murphy was raised in Brisbane, Australia, and moved to the United States in 1998. She has been living in Glen Allen for the past seven years and on a visit back home in February of last year, Murphy came across her future business venture.
“I was out shopping with some of my girlfriends and saw these amazing hand bags,” said Murphy.
Murphy then decided she would bring the product line back to the United States to test out in retail stores.
“LouenHide had no presence in the U.S. There was a large market here, and I wanted to bring them over,” said Murphy.
After she got home, she started talking to LouenHide about setting up a wholesale distribution company here, and by April 2010 she had placed her first order. She started selling to stores in May.
“We decided to begin introducing the LouenHide range to a small number of stores over the summer of 2010 to see how the market reacted to the brand and style of the bag,” said Murphy.
Murphy worked out of her home for the first couple of months while she tested out the bags in stores in Virginia and North Carolina.
After a successful response, she decided to move into her own space to do more business with retailers.
She leased a warehouse on Nuckols Road in Glen Allen in the fall and within four months needed more space to house the bags.
“We were doing 200 bags per shipment then,” Murphy said.
“We needed a larger office, and I wanted to be close to where I live.”
In February, Murphy leased a 1,500-square-foot warehouse on Granite Ridge Road in Goochland.
Murphy said she’s now doing three to four orders a day and 2,000 orders per shipment.
Dandaloo carries mostly LouenHide’s shoulder and hand bags, which are made of leather or polyurethane and come in six styles and 10 colors.
The bags range from $100 to $120.
Lynne Butz, owner of Monkee’s of Richmond, said that she has carried the bags since May.
“We carry around five styles. They’ve been selling well,” Butz said. “It’s for the savvy, cost-conscious woman.”
LouenHide bags are sold in four stores in Richmond and 50 stores across the country.
Murphy plans to have a presence in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Northern Virginia within the next six months.
“I plan to market to all states on the East Coast, then head west,” she said.
A local entrepreneur has gone back to her roots to make an Australian accessories company a household name in Richmond.
Last year Tracy Murphy founded Dandaloo Accessories, the U.S. distribution company for Australian accessory label LouenHide.
Before branching out on her own, Murphy worked in the business development department for New Visions, New Ventures, a local organization that helps people start their own business.
“The clients I met while working at New Visions, New Ventures inspired me to start my own business,” she said.
With that inspiration, she has since moved the business out of her Glen Allen home and leased warehouse space in Goochland. The products, a mix of colorful hand and shoulder bags, are available in 10 stores in Virginia.
Murphy said that “dandaloo” is a word that Australians use for pretty and that she picked it to represent her hometown.
“I knew I wanted to have a business name which related the product to Australia,” she said.
Murphy was raised in Brisbane, Australia, and moved to the United States in 1998. She has been living in Glen Allen for the past seven years and on a visit back home in February of last year, Murphy came across her future business venture.
“I was out shopping with some of my girlfriends and saw these amazing hand bags,” said Murphy.
Murphy then decided she would bring the product line back to the United States to test out in retail stores.
“LouenHide had no presence in the U.S. There was a large market here, and I wanted to bring them over,” said Murphy.
After she got home, she started talking to LouenHide about setting up a wholesale distribution company here, and by April 2010 she had placed her first order. She started selling to stores in May.
“We decided to begin introducing the LouenHide range to a small number of stores over the summer of 2010 to see how the market reacted to the brand and style of the bag,” said Murphy.
Murphy worked out of her home for the first couple of months while she tested out the bags in stores in Virginia and North Carolina.
After a successful response, she decided to move into her own space to do more business with retailers.
She leased a warehouse on Nuckols Road in Glen Allen in the fall and within four months needed more space to house the bags.
“We were doing 200 bags per shipment then,” Murphy said.
“We needed a larger office, and I wanted to be close to where I live.”
In February, Murphy leased a 1,500-square-foot warehouse on Granite Ridge Road in Goochland.
Murphy said she’s now doing three to four orders a day and 2,000 orders per shipment.
Dandaloo carries mostly LouenHide’s shoulder and hand bags, which are made of leather or polyurethane and come in six styles and 10 colors.
The bags range from $100 to $120.
Lynne Butz, owner of Monkee’s of Richmond, said that she has carried the bags since May.
“We carry around five styles. They’ve been selling well,” Butz said. “It’s for the savvy, cost-conscious woman.”
LouenHide bags are sold in four stores in Richmond and 50 stores across the country.
Murphy plans to have a presence in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Northern Virginia within the next six months.
“I plan to market to all states on the East Coast, then head west,” she said.