How a New Jersey mom built the multimillion-dollar Bogg Bag brand

NEW YORK - What began as a simple quest for the perfect beach bag is now a booming $100 million empire, and it all started in a Ridgewood, New Jersey, home.

Meet Kim Vaccarella, the founder and CEO behind the wildly popular Bogg Bag, the waterproof, washable and husband-approved tote made of EVA foam, the same material used in Crocs and yoga mats.

Known as the "go anywhere, do anything bag," it's beloved by moms, teachers, travelers and anyone with more to carry than hands.

"I just wanted something big enough to carry all the things to the beach," Vaccarella says, walking through the brand’s 160,000-square-foot Secaucus warehouse, where every shipment and inventory check still happens under her watch. 

"Did I ever think it would be this big? No. Not in a million years."

Built from rejection

The first Bogg Bag prototype came to life 17 years ago. 

At the time, Vaccarella was a mom with an idea and a dream. Armed with her "Mommy Millionaire" notebook and a DIY prototype, she went door to door to companies in New York City, only to hear rejection after rejection.

"Everyone told me ‘no,’" she recalls. 

"They said it was too big, too utilitarian — exactly what I wanted. So I decided to make it myself."

A neighbor introduced her to a manufacturing facility in China that finally brought her vision to life. 

She ordered 300 bags, just enough to test the market. They sold out. Then came 600. Then a full container.

"I dipped into our savings. Our kids' college accounts. It was terrifying," Vaccarella admits. "And when that container arrived, with black streaks all over the bags, I was crushed. I pretended to have it together, but I was ready to give up."

A bag with a bigger purpose

Then came Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the very Jersey Shore where the Bogg Bag idea had first been sparked.

Instead of folding, Vaccarella pivoted, donating more than 1,000 bags filled with supplies to families in need.

"I just wanted to help," she says. "Even if it was a small gesture, I hoped it brought a little brightness during a dark time."

She returned to commercial real estate, putting Bogg Bags on the back burner. But the universe had other plans.

"A Facebook page I made started blowing up," she recalls. "One message said the yellow Bogg Bag was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal place. That message stuck with me."

Shark Tank

Vaccarella doubled down, auditioning for "Shark Tank" four times and making it to the finals each round. 

A lifeline came in the form of a coworker who invested $120,000 for 25 percent of the company.

"Where else is somebody asking for $120,000 and turns it into $10 million? That doesn’t happen often," she laughs.

Spoiler alert: It paid off. Big.

Today, Bogg Bags are sold in more than 9,500 stores nationwide, including Dick’s, Target, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. 

Thanks to a recent Fanatics partnership, fans can now snag bags repping their favorite teams — more than 700 franchises across the country.

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