Reusable tote bags are going global

Garrett Loveall wanted a project that combined his passion for entrepreneurship with his two decades of sewing experience. And so, July Nine was born in 2012.

Three years later, that project has become his business. He designs, manufactures and ships his tote bags to places like Japan and South Korea from a garage attached to his Redmond home.

Loveall said he initially wanted July Nine — named for 9 de Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires, the widest street in the world — to create and sell winter jackets. Instead, he began developing tote bags after the city of Eugene, Loveall’s home at the time, banned disposable plastic bags in 2013. Loveall, who was making canvas overnight bags at the time, said he received requests to design a quality reusable shopping bag to fill the void.

He initially balked at the task, because he thought of reusable bags as cheap and unattractive. But these constraints — making a bag that was both utilitarian and stylish — eventually gave rise to his most popular product: a nylon bag that rolls up into its leather handle for easy transportation. Loveall called it the “Sushi Sack” because of its coiled shape, which resembles a California roll.

“Really, what I felt the market was lacking was something that you really wanted to carry,” Loveall said.