You wouldn’t expect to find handbags for sale along with tires and wheels. But that’s what you’ll find at Waukegan Tire & Supply Co., Park City, Ill. Since January, 2011, the dealership has been selling clutches, credit card holders, purses, travel bags and unisex brief cases made with recycled farm tire inner tubes by Passchal of Richmond, Va.
Now Waukegan is offering a new line of handbags – the Mary Ann line – and a new cause. Waukegan Tire is donating 10% of sales of Passchal products to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. Passchal will also donate 10% of sales to the TS Alliance when you purchase any bag or accessory from the Mary Ann line. The TS Alliance is the advocacy and support organization that provides information about tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), research on its genetics and treatment, and support for patients.
The new line is named after Waukegan Tire co-owner Julie Scroggins’ daughter Mary Ann, who was diagnosed with TSC in 2009. Mary Ann decided to focus on spreading awareness of this disease and to help find a cure. Working in partnership with Passchal, the 18-year-old freshman art major at Illinois State University channeled her talents to design a line of handbags. Each item is one-of-a-kind due to the nature of the markings on the inner tubes.
The timing for the Mary Ann line is just right, as May is National TSC Awareness month. The first bag in the series is aptly named the “Mary Ann.” There are two more bags currently in production; one is a golf bag.
TSC is a genetic disease that is the leading genetic cause of both autism and epilepsy, and causes tumors to form in the vital organs such as brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, lungs and skin. The TS Alliance’s mission is to ultimately find a cure for TSC, while improving the lives of those affected.
Last year, Mary Ann and her family hosted a wine dinner that raised $14,000 for the TS Alliance. The 2nd Annual Wine Dinner to benefit the TS Alliance in honor of Mary Ann will be held on May 18, 2011, in Kenosha, Wis.
Passchal’s products are “Designed with the environment in mind.” The recycled inner tubes are gathered from Ohio, Virginia and Georgia. Waukegan Tire has been selling the handbags since January (see Waukegan Tire adds handbags to sales mix).
To order from the line, or for more information, visit www.waukegantire.net.
