local manufacturer and regional artists put their best bag forward

At a time when most manufacturing jobs can’t get overseas fast enough, it’s no small wonder that BaileyWorks has been able to thrive on the Seacoast. The Portsmouth-based manufacturer is not sheltered from the stormy winds of international trade, but it has been able to carve out a sizable share of the messenger bag market while remaining true to its local roots.

Locally, the bags have a certain cache. Walking around downtown, you are likely to see at least one pedestrian or cyclist with a Bailey bag slung over his shoulder. But the popularity of BaileyWorks extends beyond the confines of Portsmouth. Wherever a whiff of bike culture exists, Bailey bags are often present. Jonathan Bailey, owner of the Islington Street business, has received letters and postcards from as far away as Cambodia, all from customers extolling the virtues of the simple satchel. 

In this Bailey nation, it’s hard to find two bags decorated the same way. People draw, paint, stencil and stitch their individuality onto the outside of Bailey bags. Altering the simple design is a way of articulating an identity, interest or attitude, without ever having to say a word.

To demonstrate the way Bailey bags lend themselves to artistic expression, the company donated 13 of its signature “253 Courier” bags to regional artists, who used them as both canvas and material for new projects. The final products will be on display at ellO Gallery until April 30. On Friday, April 4, an opening reception will be held at the gallery, located at 110 State St. in Portsmouth.  

The idea for the “BaileyWorks Art Project” came from Emily Bailey, Jon’s wife. She and Jon have been trying to understand who is buying their bags. The 253 bags are designed to help commuters carry supplies to school or work, whether by bike, on foot or in a car. The bags have black bodies with colored lids that clip over large front pockets. They are available in a number of sizes and can be carried with a top handle or shoulder strap, perfect for bicycle travel.
 
But according to Jon, bike messengers make up only a tiny percentage of his customers. The 253 bags have proved popular with artists and other creative types who choose to adopt the gritty style of urban messengers. The show at ellO was envisioned as an effective way to reach out to that crowd in Portsmouth.  

The gallery, which opened last year with the intention of showcasing more experimental art, seemed like the perfect venue. Emily contacted ellO co-founder Byrdy Dilando, who agreed to host the show and reach out to regional artists who work in a variety of mediums.

“We wanted to pick people that did more than just paint,” Dilando said.

One of those artists, Megan Stelzer, works with metal. For her submission, she layered small metal plates on the front flap of the bag, creating a reptilian armor. Cullen McCough, from Grain Surfboards in York, Maine, submitted a bag with polished wooden panels bolted to the exterior. Other artists painted the bags or decorated them with beads or stencils.

Dilando decided to make her bag into a dress. She anticipated having to integrate extra material into the outfit, but the amount of fabric in each bag proved to be more than enough to create a 1960s-style mini dress and accompanying handbag.

According to Dilando, the material posed a serious challenge for artists. The shells of the bags are made of 1000 Denier Cordura, a heavy nylon with a urethane coating. In some cases, paint wouldn’t stick, Dilando said. And, unlike a canvas, which can be whitewashed and used again, the bags could not be altered once paint was applied. As a result, each modification had to be careful and deliberate.

The process of producing Bailey bags is equally meticulous. Jon Bailey has been making gear since he was 13.

As a Boy Scout, he asked his mother to make a bag for his tent. She refused, suggesting instead that he build it himself. Her insistence set Bailey on a trajectory toward self-reliance and a life-long career.

At first, he focused on making mountaineering equipment. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in history, Bailey began running his young business out of the dining room of a Portsmouth home. But, as the fabric and technology for mountaineering gear advanced, Bailey found it difficult to keep up.

In 1988, Baily picked up a hitchhiker while driving in Vermont. The vagabond clamored into his car with a classic Globe Canvas/De Martini bag—the granddaddy of messenger bags.

“That bag caught my eye. I had never seen that combination of materials before,” Bailey said. He asked about the bag and, for the next 45 minutes, his passenger poured his heart out, listing the numerous virtues of his bag. Bailey was hooked.

“It struck me as a bag that everybody needs,” he said. Following that experience, his business switched its focus from mountaineering to messenger bags.

In the pursuit of “street cred,” Bailey moved out to San Francisco to work as a bike messenger. He peddled his way through three months, earning $100 a week. In the process, he learned a few important lessons.

“I learned that I was not meant to be a knight but to build armor,” he writes on the BaileyWorks Web site, www.baileyworks.com. He also learned that the West Coast wasn’t for him. “I’m an East Coast kid to the bone,” he said. In 1993, Bailey moved back to New Hampshire.

Since relocating to Portsmouth, BaileyWorks has moved around a lot. It currently resides in a small building near the Button Factory on Islington Street. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by tall shelves stacked with brand new Bailey bags. Behind the shelves, two sewing machines rev up and down as production workers assemble more bags. In coming months, Bailey plans to hire two more production employees, evidence of his business’s growth. 

So, what makes Bailey bags so popular?

“The bags themselves,” Bailey said. “People form this bond with them.” Each bag is handmade with quality materials. The bags are often recognized for their simplicity, utility and craftsmanship.

“People from town see it as a point of pride,” said Roger Goldenberg, a friend of Jon Bailey’s and one of the 13 artists participating in the show. “It says, ‘I’m from Portsmouth and I’m proud of it.’”

Goldenberg owns four Bailey bags, including the one given to him for the art project. His original idea for the show was to deconstruct the bag and create something new. But he later decided to turn it inside out and reveal its “raincoat-yellow” interior. Using steel wire he found on the street, Goldenberg created the skeleton for a free standing horse. He wrapped the bag around the skeleton, giving the carousal-sized horse an outer skin. He’s calling it, “Saddle Bag with Attitude.”

“It’s kind of a departure for me,” Goldenberg said, noting that his work typically includes colorful paint on oddly shaped canvasses.

The way Goldenberg tells it, Bailey enjoys having creative control over each of his products. Tampering with the formula is tantamount to drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa. “These are his creations. They’ve been born of his imagination. The fact that he is letting artists rip them apart and reshape them is pretty big,” Goldenberg said.

Contributing to community arts is nothing new for Bailey. He was one of the original members of the funk collective Jumbo Circus Peanuts. He also played trombone and sousaphone for the original Leftist Marching Band.

Bailey is also active with a number of organizations and committees that advocate alternative transportation options. He’s currently organizing a rally for the Safe Routes to School program and is on Portsmouth’s Traffic and Safety Committee.

The owner of four bicycles, Bailey has seen a number of cities from the seat of his bike. His experience riding outside of Portsmouth has given him a unique perspective on cycling in the Port City.

“People don’t realize how good we have it,” he said. The roads are relatively safe and everything is close enough to make bike riding convenient, he pointed out. 

Bailey and Dilando invite people to ride their bikes to ellO on Friday for the opening reception of BailyWorks Art Project. Guests are welcome to bring along their own Bailey bags—altered or unaltered.