***𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬!***
Read here or 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲
When I first started offering custom JAMAH commissions, I never imagined the emotional dimension that this work would take on. Of the many stories that have deeply moved me, one in particular continues to take my breath away.
A young Leyda was just nine years old and Ben was 13 when their respective families left Cuba to settle in Southern California. Soon after, the two young immigrants met and fell in love. By the time they were barely in their twenties, Leyda and Ben were married and living the American Dream.
The couple worked diligently to achieve financial success and create a legacy for their family. Never losing sight of their beginnings, Leyda and Ben remained humble as they grew their empire.
One day, the always down-to-earth Ben decided that he wanted a crocodile jacket. Regardless of what they could afford, as always, he had a budget in mind, only to discover that his number was far below the asking price for genuine crocodile leather. The search was put on hold.
Then one fated day, Ben and Leyda found themselves in a beautiful store that specialized in custom leather designs. Leyda picked up a crocodile skin that was so soft “it felt like butter,” and to her surprise, although higher than originally intended, the price tag was within reason. Ben would have his crocodile jacket!
They received notice that the jacket was ready. It was a masterpiece, and Ben wore it proudly while the family joked that he vetoed the less expensive jackets because they cost too much, only to pay more for this one!
Shortly after, the credit card statement arrived only for Leyda to discover an error. The charge included an extra zero. “Not to worry,” said Leyda as she assured Ben she would call the shop and straighten it out.
There was no error! The extra zero was not an accident. When Leyda looked closely, she discovered it had been there all along. Ben was now the proud owner of a custom, Grade 1, pristine and very pricey crocodile jacket!
The family was still finding this story amusing when sadly, barely a year later, Ben was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and their beautiful love affair was cut short.
Heartbroken, Leyda developed a deeply sentimental bond with the jacket and then she had a wonderful epiphany… she would convert it into the perfect handbag, allowing her to always have a piece of Ben at her side. And so the journey began, a determined Leyda embarked on an intensive search for the right person to make this happen. To her surprise, finding that person was not as easy as she anticipated.
Thankfully, our mutual friend, the magical Kim DeAllen, brought Leyda and me together, and the chemistry was immediate. Leyda shared the “Crocodile Tale,” and how much she missed the love of her life. The storied jacket was revealed, and I was ecstatic to announce that there was not only ample material to create a bag for Leyda but there was actually enough to make pieces for all four of the cherished women in Ben’s life!
Fittingly, each bag bore a personal message that we inscribed in the interior, from Leyda to her loved ones. And unbeknownst to Leyda, while disassembling the jacket, I discovered four strips of photobooth images of Ben wearing his bespoke crocodile. To her surprise, I placed one in each bag.
A magnificent romance is now immortalized in four JAMAH bags and “The Crocodile Tale,” continues to epitomize Ben and Leyda’s great love and legacy. I am so grateful that my work allows me to connect with my clients in a meaningful way.
𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬?
𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
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𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲
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