Jennifer Conner founded Pennyroyal after deciding to make the handbag she couldn’t find—one built with exceptional materials, thoughtful design, and lasting craftsmanship.
But she didn’t initially set out to become a handbag designer. In fact, the first bag she made came about from a simple favor.
“The first time I worked with leather, my mother-in-law at the time asked me to make her a tote bag with leather handles,” she recalls.
After a trip to Maverick Leather (a provider of hide products) and a few suggestions from their staff, she figured out how to do it, then figured out how to add a leather bottom.
“Then I wanted to make a whole bag out of leather, and then it just kind of took off from there,” she says.
Today, Conner is the founder of Pennyroyal, the Petaluma leather goods company known for handcrafted bags that balance clean, understated design with exceptional durability. Every bag is made with the belief that beautiful objects should improve with age rather than wear out, and that craftsmanship is worth slowing down for.
Before Pennyroyal, Conner explored several creative paths. She hand-dyed fabrics, made pillows, and, with business partner Deb Wilson, restored vintage mid-century furniture through a company called 1,000 Chairs. But while she enjoyed those paths, handbags began to pull her attention.
“I liked making the handbags the best,” she says. “I couldn’t find any handbags that I really liked, and I felt like I could do it. I really felt like I could make something that was worthy of making. I wanted to make the handbag that I couldn’t find.”
“We’re striving to create a brand that feels as though it belongs here—one that fits seamlessly into this landscape and way of life.” —Jennifer Conner
Starting a business meant learning far more than sewing leather.
When asked what she had to learn in those early years, she says, “Everything, yeah, really everything.”
After developing her first collection, she exhibited at a major Los Angeles trade show, where the line earned Women’s Wear Daily‘s Best in Show award—an early milestone that confirmed she was on the right path.
From Start to Finish
Today, every Pennyroyal bag begins with inspiration, and inspiration can arrive from almost anywhere.
“So it starts with an idea or sometimes I’ll come across a shape that I think is interesting,” Connor says. “Sometimes it’s a dream.”
One of Pennyroyal’s signature designs, the Siri bag, began with a woman she spotted riding the London Underground who was carrying an eye-catching handbag. Conner quickly sketched the distinctive shape, but translating that sketch into a finished design took years of collaboration and refinement.
“It’s a lot of trial and error,” she says.
She works closely with her sewing team, Maya Miel and Jessica Todd, to solve the countless design questions hidden inside what appears to be a simple handbag. Together they decide how straps should attach, where seams should disappear, which hardware works best, and how interior pockets can be both functional and beautiful.
Then come the prototypes.
“We’ll work out the specifics,” she says. “And then it’s just making prototypes, carrying the prototype, seeing what doesn’t work.”
The process doesn’t end once a bag reaches customers. Pennyroyal continually refines its designs, sometimes based on customer feedback and sometimes because the team discovers a better solution.
“So it’s constantly being changed,” Conner says.
One customer came in asking what she could do to keep her Siri bag closed more easily, so they took a look and suggested adding snaps. Moving forward, the team incorporated the idea, improving a design that had already been in production.
“So the bags are always evolving,” she says.
That same philosophy extends to the materials Conner chooses.
Early on, she knew she wanted to avoid conventional chrome-tanned leather because of its environmental impact and instead searched for a supplier producing vegetable-tanned hides using traditional methods. After experimenting with several options, she finally found the tannery that remains Pennyroyal’s source today.
“Everything fell together,” she says of finding the right leather. “It was like that was the missing link.”
Ethically Tanned Leather
The hides used in Pennyroyal bags are tanned using mimosa bark instead of chromium salts, a slower process that also produces leather capable of developing a rich patina over decades of use. Conner also appreciates that the tannery repurposes its natural byproducts as fertilizer rather than generating toxic waste.
The result is leather that isn’t meant to stay infinitely pristine. It’s meant to tell a story.
“We want to make the bag that you’re going to carry and then that your kids want to carry,” she says.
To help customers do exactly that, Pennyroyal offers cleaning, conditioning, and repair services. Conner enjoys seeing well-loved bags return to the shop after years of daily use.
“It’s really fun when someone brings in their bag that they’ve been carrying for a really long time,” she smiles. “You get to see the progression and how much people love them. I’ve been fortunate to have customers who have supported Pennyroyal since the day we opened our doors—and some since before we even had a shop!”
Petaluma has been an ideal location for her business to grow and thrive. “Creatively, Petaluma is an endlessly inspiring place to live,” she says. “We’re striving to create a brand that feels as though it belongs here—one that fits seamlessly into this landscape and way of life. Many [customers have] become familiar faces and friends over the years, and their loyalty has allowed us to continue designing and making products we believe in.”
How to Succeed in Business
As the company has grown, Conner has learned another important lesson: success doesn’t come from doing everything yourself.
After demand increased, she hired Miel, who has worked alongside her for more than a decade. Todd later joined the team, bringing complementary skills that strengthened the business even further.
“They’re so much better at sewing than I am,” Conner says. “They know how to do all the little things that make the bags really special.”
Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs reflects that experience.
“Outsourcing is the biggest thing,” she says. “Don’t try to do it all yourself. Find a good bookkeeper, get a team, learn how to delegate and focus on what you’re good at.”
For Conner, however, the greatest benefit of building Pennyroyal isn’t simply creating beautiful products—it’s being part of Petaluma’s community of independent business owners.
“My very favorite part of owning a business in Petaluma is all the other women who run businesses here,” she says. “It’s a tight knit community. I’ve made really close friends and it’s such a supportive environment. We rally for each other… I wouldn’t want to own a shop anywhere else.”
That sense of community continues to inspire Pennyroyal as the business grows into new ventures, including an upcoming clothing line. And while new creative ideas will always be part of the business, the company’s mission remains unchanged: to create thoughtfully designed goods that become trusted companions for a lifetime—and perhaps even the next generation.
Pennyroyal
119 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA
707.280.3259
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday + Sunday 11-5pm and Friday & Saturday 11-6pm