I have been a bag collector for many years, with well over 25 different bags in my collection. Some are rare, hand-made in Japan, several from the French brand Cote&Ciel, another custom hand-made in the UK, and lots from US brands. I have carry options for every situation… which my wife confirms is overkill.
Growing up, I moved over 20 times before I turned 20, and have since moved over 10 times. I’ve landed in the Santa Cruz area, and finally have a place I call home. Being in motion must be in my blood, as I have an Airstream, an electric motorcycle, 2 cars and am restoring my 7th sailboat. Oh, and my neighbor gave me a canoe. The word “rove” means “travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander.” Maybe that’s why I named the new bag shop I’m opening Rove Goods.
Rove Goods will have a focus on technical bags to start with, and move into other Every Day Carry (EDC) goods, as well as potentially clothing. There isn’t another shop in the entire Bay Area that offers multiple brands like these, under one roof. Most brands have their own shop, and don’t really sell to other bag shops, except for REI and the like. My focus isn’t on hiking and camping though, but gear for the tech crowd. Backpacks, totes and slings for all your tech gear from laptops, chargers, documents, cameras, cables, etc. I want to provide a location where someone can come in and try on different brands to find the exact bag and size that will suit their EDC needs. All the bags will feature the latest in technical fabric from X-pac to Cordura, with most being water-proof/resistant.
Some of the brands I’m starting with are Black Ember, Mission Workshop, Inside Line Equipment, Cote&Ciel, Able Carry and WANDRD.
I will also be running my design/branding studio, Studio Holladay from the location. Mixed-use is where I thrive! I live in Felton, and look forward to being back in the daily mix of the West Side of Santa Cruz!
I lucked out on finding the perfect location to start out, right in-between Cat & Cloud Coffee and Illuminee on the West Side of Santa Cruz. The shop should be open in roughly a month from now. You can follow the progress on instagram @shoprovegoods. A website will be up soon to highlight the product offerings at www.shoprovegoods.com
Written by Ted Holladay
