Ridgewood Mom's Search For 'Perfect' Beach Bag Led Her To Invent One. It's Earned Millions

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood mom-turned-entrepreneur Kim Vaccarella tried in 2008 to find the perfect beach bag, one that could tote supplies without being ruined by sand and water.

Her search came up empty. So she sketched out an idea and created a prototype using foam sheets.

Today, her "Bogg Bags" are being gobbled up by people heading to the shore. They were even referred to as the "Summer's Hottest Bag" recently by both Good Morning America and New York Magazine.

Vaccarella recently told Patch how it all began.

Vaccarella's family moved to Ridgewood when she was 9, in the late 1970s. She graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1988.

After that, she began working in commercial real estate while raising her family.

"The idea for the Bogg bag was born in Ortley Beach, which happens to be where my family beach house is located," she said. "My husband, kids and I spend summers in Toms River. My search for the perfect family beach bag came up empty (and full of sand!) and propelled me to create a solution. At the time, there were no other beach bags on the market that could reliably carry everything I needed for my family during beach vacations."

She drew a sketch and created a prototype.

"While I had no prior experience in product development or marketing a lifestyle brand, I immediately found support from my family, friends and community," she said.

What's 'Bogg'?

She began selling the bags in a local boutique, and sales were successful.

"I was a little skeptical at first, thinking it was just friends and family buying everything up to be nice," she said. "But after ordering 600 more bags and watching them sell quickly, I knew I had to keep pushing forward. What started as a boots-on-the-ground endeavor to sell bags in boutiques along the Jersey Shore (Pink Bungalow) has transformed into a multi-million dollar B2C company."

Bogg products are now found in major retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Academy, and online at BoggBag.com.

"But Bogg remains committed to also being offered in local boutiques, such as Deeply Rooted in Ridgewood," Vaccarella noted.

Why the name Bogg?

"Her mind wandered to water, frogs, and lily pads," noted a company spokesperson. "She combined pad, frog and bag into pogg and landed on Bogg!"

Vaccarella said, looking back, "It’s been an exciting journey to watch a vision from 16 years ago come to life! What hasn’t changed is that I remain family-focused, and Bogg is still a family-run small business."

Giving Back

Vaccarella said the brand donated 1,000 bags in 2012 to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The bags were also useful to health care workers during covid, she said, because they're made of an antimicrobial, easily washable and water-resistant material.

The Bogg brand hit its first $1M at the end of 2018. Last year, Vaccarella was named an 2023 EY Entrepreneur of the Year NJ.

Now Vaccarella has a new goal.

"I want other mompreneurs to use my story as inspiration to not let go of great ideas," she said, "no matter how many times others tell them 'no' or place obstacles in their path to success."