Customization is part of the fun for Strap Lab

Kelly Wilson and Ann Pender did not necessarily have grand aspirations of starting a big business.

The two Newport Beach women went to a UCLA football game last fall in support of their children, both Newport Harbor High School graduates. Remy Wilson and Cole Pender, who both played volleyball for the Sailors, now do so for the Bruins.

Accessorizing for the football game required some thought.

“It’s their school, not our school, so we just wanted to be subtle,” Ann Pender said. “You have to wear a clear bag to get into the Rose Bowl, so we’re like, ‘OK, what can we do that’s subtle and practical? Let’s put a strap on a cute clear bag, and then we don’t have to be decked head to toe [in UCLA gear] and we let them represent their own schools.’”

Both women received plenty of compliments that day, and an idea was born.

They started Strap Lab, which sells clear bags, interchangeable straps and other accessories. They recently launched a website and also take orders through their Instagram page.

Wilson and Pender operate the business on the Balboa Peninsula and it has grown to include other accessories.

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During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, those accessories have included masks. The Orange County Public Health Agency reported four new deaths due to the respiratory disease on Thursday, bringing the county coronavirus death toll to 1,069. There were 281 daily COVID-19 positive tests reported, and now there have been 50,471 cumulative cases to date since the pandemic began.

Strap Lab products are fashionable, interchangeable straps that can be added to clear handbags.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Strap Lab’s merchandise is largely designed to be taken to sporting events, which have mostly disappeared since March. However, the direct-to-consumer business continues to thrive.

“We thought [our business] was going to come to a complete halt, but it didn’t,” Kelly Wilson said. “I think the reason why is because [COVID hit in] the spring, and kids were finding out the schools they were going to for colleges. Everyone was buying them for graduation gifts. If they were going to Oregon, it’s like, ‘Here’s your ‘Sco Ducks’ bag and strap.

“It’s an easy way to cheer on your team. I think during these times of uncertainty, people don’t know when sports are going to start again, but people still love wearing them. That’s what we’ve found, so it’s been kind of cool.”

Wilson said they have received orders from Randi Mahomes, the mother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Brittany Barkley, the wife of Newport Beach native and Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley, has been another customer.

Wilson and Pender, who have each had three student-athletes come through Newport Harbor, understand the importance of representing for the team. They have also done high school fundraisers, Pender said, where 20% of the proceeds are donated back to the program.

Large orders are outsourced to Los Angeles, Wilson said, but they make many of the samples themselves.

Stacy Liolios, whose son, Clay, graduated from Newport Harbor last spring, said she brought about 20 face masks from Strap Labs and brought them to the University of Georgia, where Clay is now a freshman.

“I played softball at Ohio State, so I also bought a bunch of Buckeyes stuff and sent it back to all my teammates,” Stacy Liolios said. “They just have really cool stuff that I don’t think you can find elsewhere. It’s a super-creative business.”

Nanci Terry, who has three Newport Harbor graduates, said she bought coin purses from Strap Labs as graduation gifts. With her son, Blake, a senior at TCU and her twins, Alex and Luke, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Boise State, respectively, there’s little doubt which straps that she has ordered.

“I can have the one bag and I can buy three straps,” Terry said. “Whichever school I’m going to, I just put that strap on.”

Pender said a clear bag and strap combination goes for $50, while additional straps are $25 each. Customization is ultimately the name of the game.

Pender and Wilson don’t seem themselves stopping any time soon.

“Ann and I love sports,” said Wilson, who rooted on her sons, Chase and Andrew, on the Newport Harbor surf and lacrosse teams, respectively. “Out of all of our friends, we love sports. I grew up going to football games, and my dad [Paul Ryan] played football at USC [in the mid-1940s]. When this all fell into our laps, we were like, ‘This is so perfect for us.’ It’s just fun, and we have a ball doing it. It doesn’t feel like work.”

Ann Pender, left, and Kelly Wilson are the developers of Strap Lab.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

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