After coming across an old box of family photographs taken in the 1940′s, jack&marjorie, was founded by Meghan Parsons in Tokyo, Japan in 2004. Jack and Marjorie were her grandparents. In 2005, jack&marjorie relocated to Toronto, Meghan’s hometown.

Tell us about jack&marjorie.

We are a Toronto based company. We use recycled military surplus materials and other organic materials to create unique, yet functional bags and accessories.

jack&marjorie was started when my husband (then boyfriend) Manuel and I were living in Tokyo. I had gone to Ryerson University in Toronto for fashion design, but wasn’t doing anything creative. I missed it, so I started making bags for fun. Things naturally progressed from there.

Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?

No, not at all. When I was in design school, my plan was to graduate and then find a job as an assistant designer at an established company. It’s not that it wasn’t an appealing prospect to own my own business; I think I was afraid of it because I believed to be an entrepreneur you had to have an extroverted personality, which I certainly do not possess. Although I do think a type A personality is advantageous as a business owner, it’s not a requirement for success. Introverts often have other qualities that lend themselves well to operating a business: I think a focused, calm, detail obsessed nature are assets to this sort of work.

What are the top 3 lessons you’ve learned since starting your business?

Don’t undersell yourself or your product: especially if you’re selling something tangible, be careful with pricing. Once you have established your price point, it’s very difficult to change it, especially upwards!

Treat your customers well, and there’s a good chance they will return, and possibly even spread the word about you.

Be selective about accepting opportunities that are offered to you; some can be beneficial to you, but others may end up being a waste of resources, time and money.

How do you create balance in your life?

I’m usually pretty good about keeping to regular working hours. (Of course, this all goes out the window several times a year when I’m finishing wholesale orders or preparing for a retail show!)

I also make an effort to pursue interests outside of the realm of working on jack&marjorie. It’s important to me to be able to define myself outside of the context of my business.

What are your plans for the next 5 years?

I’m hoping to begin selling jack&marjorie into Japan and Europe, and further into the U.S. and Canada.

Last question: what is a day like in your heels?

Virtually all of my days are spent in flats I usually start the day with email, paperwork, and sourcing any supplies we need. After that’s finished, it’s into the studio. Much of the work I do is very hands-on: depending on the time of year, I am usually either drafting patterns, cutting fabric, sewing, or setting snaps and rivets into bags. I sometimes have help with this, and I sometimes don’t. At lunchtime I take my dog Lucy for a walk so we can both get some fresh air and vitamin D. After lunch it’s back to the studio working on bags, and then the day is usually wrapped up with more email and computer-based work.

Thanks Meghan! Be sure to check out the website for jack&marjorie here.