Nancy Gale has always believed that it’s best to start in your own backyard.  This maxim applies to everything she does, from her impactful work at AMBITION to JAMAH’s dedication to crafting bags in downtown Los Angeles and, most recently, to her exciting foray into designing bespoke handbags in the world of professional sports.

It all starts with A.G. Spanos, one of the many incredible people Nancy is grateful to have met through her beloved Alder network.  Nancy had long heard A.G.’s praises from her dear friend Kim DeAllen, but she was soon to discover that Kim could not have been more right. Thanks to Kim, before she even met A.G. Nancy knew him as a curious, kind and generous family man. And of course, she was also aware of A.G.’s devotion to his professional life, as part of the Spanos family, owners of the Los Angeles Chargers. But she was soon to discover their shared belief in starting in your own backyard.

Nancy first connected with A.G. when he invited his fellow Alder members to join him for a hard hat tour of Sofi Stadium to witness the final stages of construction at the Chargers’ new Los Angeles home. As a person who lives for detail, Nancy was fascinated by the construction process: everything was planned, down to the placement of each trash can! Riding the adrenaline of such an exciting event, Nancy reached out to A.G. to thank him for hosting her. To her delight, he responded right away with a warm, generous note.

Nancy’s new love affair with all things Chargers continued several months later, when A.G. invited her and other Alder members to attend Chargers Draft Day. While at the event, Nancy connected with leaders from the Brotherhood Crusade, a grassroots organization dedicated to meeting the needs of underserved individuals in South Los Angeles. Not only did she discover their incredible work, but she learned that A.G. is deeply involved in their mission of driving change, right in his own backyard, just as Nancy does through AMBITION.

Nancy and A.G. finally found the time to connect at an Alder retreat in Ojai. Seated next to each other at breakfast, the two discussed their shared dedication to changing the world.  This conversation led to another breakfast in Newport Beach where, in true Alder fashion, the pair connected on topics that spanned their personal, professional, and philanthropic lives.

Shortly thereafter, Nancy received an email from A.G. that shared his vision for a special bespoke JAMAH bag in Chargers colors for his mom, Susie. Right away, Nancy knew that there could be no better birthday gift for the current matriarch of the Chargers family. She was also thrilled to get to work on a bag that would satisfy a long-time dream: to design for clients connected to professional sports teams. Thanks to A.G., this dream would be achieved, right in her own backyard!

With just weeks before Susie’s birthday, Nancy needed to move quickly to ensure the bag would be ready in time. At 11pm that night, she scheduled a visit to her leather warehouse for the next morning to find the perfect shades of Chargers powder blue and yellow. She made a desperate plea in her neighborhood group text looking for Chargers gear to borrow in order to guarantee the perfect color match! Less than ten minutes later there was a knock on the door and standing outside was her neighbor with a Chargers jersey in hand–a solution, right in her own backyard!

The next morning Nancy spent hours flipping through pile upon pile of leather until she finally found the perfect Chargers representation! A.G. and Nancy had already agreed on the perfect everyday medium-sized tote: perfect for carrying everything his mom might need on game day. But Nancy had lingering doubts: what if Susie wanted to wear her Chargers bag to dressier occasions? So, she also got to work on a detachable clutch to accompany the tote. But the question became: which bag would be yellow, and which would be blue? The answer was clear: Nancy pictured Susie striding through Sofi Stadium with a sunny, happy, yellow tote slung over her shoulder. And she also imagined Susie wearing a blue clutch with subtle yellow piping to a team gala. The choice was obvious.

A.G. opted for JAMAH’s signature personalization, a beautiful inscription for the inside of the bag:
“For a special Mom and Yiayia, who is very loved. August 21, 2023”

Nancy has always found bespoke commissions to be one of the most exciting aspects of her work at JAMAH. But there’s nothing better than building a connection with a client–and friend–right in her own backyard!

Watch the First Cut here.