Cleveland Handbag Design House Launches New "Lighthouse" Tote

When a mutual friend suggested meeting a new business contact, Jackie Wachter wasn’t so sure. After all, what was the link between her Cleveland-based leather handbag company and “Duck Dynasty” star Korie Robertson?

“Camouflage,” Wachter remembers musing. “Oh, I don’t know if that’s a good thing for us.”

But the Fount co-founder and creative director kept an open mind and took a closer look — and she liked what she saw.

“She has really nice classic style and she’s a very poised and a very good, kind person,” Wachter says. “She’s a Christian, and we’re also Christians so that’s a connection we had, too.”

An initial conversation turned into a collaboration, and the result is Fount’s newest launch — the Korie Tote, which shares the same shape as Fount’s best-selling Classic Bellfield Tote but with touches inspired by Robertson. Three of the bags (hazelnut, wolf and onyx) are made from Fount’s go-to Italian vegetable-tanned, full-grained leather, while two (buttercream and olive) feature a fabric new to Fount — duck-cloth canvas. The tote also has something Wachter says her customers have been wanting for years — an exterior phone pocket.

But it’s what’s inside the bag that makes a statement: the image of a lighthouse stamped on the interior pocket with the Bible verse “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

“When we go out into the world, we really try to be a bright light, optimistic and positive,” Wachter recalls Robertson telling her. “That’s what we try to do in our family as well — and also in Fount.”

Wachter and her husband, Phillip, launched Fount in 2014 and opened their first storefront two years later in Cleveland. They now have two locations in Cleveland and one in Columbus, Ohio — and have branched out to Alpharetta, Georgia, and Southlake, Texas. While they were growing their business, the couple also grew their family and now have three school-age boys.

“I just personally think that without God we would have never made it because it’s been so hard,” Wachter says. “You just have to show up daily and have faith that you can. It’s taking risks daily. It’s been a big uphill climb.”

Wachter prides herself on creating ethically sourced bags meant to last a lifetime, which starts with the full-grain, Italian leather.

“It’s like woodgrain,” she explains. “When you look at woodgrain, you can see the character. When you paint it, you’re kind of covering that up. But when you tan it instead of paint it, you can enjoy the highs and lows. That makes us different. Our customers fall in love with the quality of the leather.”

Wachter also works with a fair-trade consultant to make sure any artisans she uses are paid above the living wage for their region and have safe working environments.

Wachter sees her bags as the opposite of fast fashion, which she gave up three years ago. They’re built to last a lifetime — and then be passed down. To that end, customers can take their bags in to Fount stores to have them conditioned — or even repaired — for free.

“It’s a bag,” says Wachter, “that you can feel good about from start to finish.”

So what’s next for Fount? The location on the East Side of Cleveland is relocating to a bigger, more “grandiose” space within the same Pinecrest outdoor shopping area — and then they’re taking a bit of a break after more than a decade of hustling.

“We’re excited,” Wachter says. “We’re giving ourselves a year to catch our breath and then go.”

That, says Wachter, will likely look like opening a location in Nashville, as well as expanding in the Midwest in places like Chicago, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Philadelphia and Boston are also possible expansion opportunities.

As for the Korie Tote, Wachter says it’ll become a permanent part of the Fount collection — and she hopes the lighthouse theme appeals to others as much as it does to her and Robertson.

“I think that no matter what your faith is, being a light in the world is a beautiful thing and something we can all agree on,” she says. “If we go out in the world with positivity and love the world’s going to be a better place.”

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