The Beautiful Bags Lady

ABOUT

Carolyn Mason is the face and name behind The Beautiful Bags Lady, but she has not always made bags for a living. Prior to her debut at Findlay Market, Carolyn spent the majority of her life a professional violist. Originally from Dayton and Philadelphia, she earned a degree in performance at the University of Cincinnati and went on to play the viola in many Broadway productions, symphonies and ballets in the city. After she retired from the viola, she worked as a music librarian for the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“I would sometimes travel to New York to find certain music. That was the last music-related thing I did before retiring from music altogether,” she said.

Although she has now left her music career, Carolyn was able to easily transfer valuable skills from her time in music to her bag-making profession. She received her start selling her 100% cotton shopping bags in the Outdoor Market in 2012. In August of 2017, she moved into the storefront located at 124 West Elder Street.

“I spend so much time researching fabric and patterns from all over the country. I think my time working for the Suzanne Farrell Ballet taught me how to look for very specific items,” she said.

One can’t help but to wonder, however, “How did she go from violist to seamstress?” The answer is relatively simple - she is the wife of an environmentalist! You may recognize her husband, who helps out in the shop most days and can be seen sporting one of her aprons.

“I started making bags out of necessity. My husband works for the Park District part-time. Through his environmental work, he educated me on the harmful effects of plastic bags. We were just at a City Council meeting expressing our support for a city-wide plastic ban,” Carolyn said.

While she primarily carries bags, Carolyn also makes wine carriers, aprons and walker bags. Each bag holds up to 45 lbs and are reversible. Since their start in 2012, The Beautiful Bags Lady has prevented about 3.14 million plastic shopping bags from being tossed in landfills and waterways, as each cotton bag can hold three times the contents of one throw-away plastic bag.

“I’m really excited about our new bio-tote bags. Of course, all our bags are made with 100% cotton, but the bio-totes are made with 100% cotton thread and handmade wooden buttons. These totes are not as strong as the nylon-blend threads, but they are 100% biodegradable and great for small shopping trips,” she explained.

Carolyn also still makes a point to give back to the music community, particularly the Wayne Anderson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Wayne Anderson was a double bassist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall for 36 years until he was forced to retire after being diagnosed with ALS. Wayne succumbed to the disease on June 8th 2021 at the age of 63.

A devout Christian, Wayne’s personal mission was to provide scholarships to allow disadvantaged kids to attend EPIC Christian Summer Camp. To further his dream, The Beautiful Bags Lady is pledging $5 from every Music Hall T-Shirt she sells to the Wayne Anderson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Next time you are at the Market, ditch the plastic shopping bag for a reusable, fashionable and durable bag from The Beautiful Bags Lady.