This is a customer submission from a lovely couple who initially shared their experience with us via email. When I read it and saw the pictures, I knew I had to ask if they were willing to share their story, since it was so beautiful and touching. Robin and her husband not only agreed, but also decided to spend more time to polish their piece and share more photos with us. It is written from her husband's perspective since Robin was having some arm pain making it hard for her to type (they are both so sweet to each other! #couplegoals). So a big thank you to Robin and her husband for spending the time to share their lovely travel experience with us. ❤
Our Story
When we first got together 29 years ago, we discovered that we had both been to Europe but that Robin had never been to Paris whereas I had been several times. For 29 years we promised each other we would go, and finally, now in our mid 60's, we up and bought tickets for Paris, along with visits to London and Yorkshire, in May of 2024. We did a lot of research on pretty much every aspect of our trip. Part of that was coming to grips with the need to feel secure and safe with our possessions. We realized we needed to up our game in how we would carry documents, money, and other important items as well as day to day items one needs while visiting major cities.
Our initial search, which included Google searches and YouTube videos from product reviewers and vloggers in Paris and London, kept leading us to two popular companies. We looked at some other brands but either they didn't have the features Robin wanted, they were not visually appealing, or the reviews weren't good. We ended up ordering a small crossbody, but Robin wasn't super excited about it when it arrived. She put a lot of thought into her clothing choices for the trip and was really hoping for something that would complement those choices. She asked me to keep looking online. After more digging, the next day, I found Arden Cove and looked over the products and watched the videos.
It was too good to be true! Stylish anti-theft/weather proof products, San Francisco based company, dynamic young entrepreneurial women with a vision based on real world experience. I immediately told Robin she had to check it out. She spent a good amount of time looking at the products on the website, the videos, the reviews, the color options and even took the measurements of the products. After giving it careful thought, she settled on the Crissy Full Crossbody with Locking Clasps. We ordered it and waited......
When it arrived, Robin set about examining it in detail and trying it out with some of her Paris outfits. She thought it was awesome!! The style, the security features, the compartments - it all seemed to work really well together, a true cut above any other product we had looked at.
Two weeks later, off we went on our trip. And the Arden Cove Crossbody worked on every level. Robin felt like the crossbody gave her a sense of confidence and security. It even felt good to touch, and it had a great look to it.
I was impressed by how versatile the crossbody was--it worked with so many different fashion choices. Robin said it was also very functional. Perfect for carrying everything she needed in a way that was easy to access as we moved through the day.
The Museé Monmartre was one of the more unique locations where we took a few pictures of the crossbody. There is a permanent exhibit about the life of the French painter Suzanne Valadon. We were very intrigued by this artist, her life, and her work. Part of the exhibit includes a restoration of her atelier-apartment. Robin had the fun idea of posing as the artist coming home from a day out in Montmartre. She, of course, did not touch anything, and did not actually hang the cross body on the hook on the wall. But we thought it made for a really cool picture. And we are pretty sure that while you get a lot of great pictures of Arden Cove products in amazing places in Paris, you probably don't have this one.
All of this has made us really enthusiastic Arden Cove customers. We wish we were Oprah or major social media influencers. But alas, we're not. We don't do much on social media at all and usually don't put our pictures out there. But we did buy guides from several bloggers and vloggers to learn about Paris and London and we will be writing to thank them for their help.
We will mention Arden Cove to all of them, and we will certainly tell all of our friends and family about the products. But mostly we just want to say: Go Carmen and Karin and the Arden Cove team! The best of luck going forward. You've got great products and a great company vibe. We're so happy we found Arden Cove and could make it part of our magical trip to Paris and beyond and support a creative, energetic Northern California company in the process. Oh, and that other crossbody--guess who ended up with that? So if Arden Cove ever branches out and makes a small crossbody for men, I'll be first in line to try it out! ??
Again, thank you to Robin & Mitch for sharing their beautiful memories with us. This means so much to us that our bags fit Robin's needs in terms of style and functionality. Reading this brightened up my day and I hope it will bring a smile to others also looking to travel the world with confidence and style. And we will absolutely reach out once we create that men's crossbody 😉
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