Aiden Landman loves Zola Jones

By Venus Zine Staff
Published: December 11th, 2008 | 12:00am

Remembering birthdays, wowing someone with holiday cheer, picking out thoughtful gifts —all things at which I am not terribly adept. Last month, I tried to turn this around.

Had James Joyce been a big city handbag enthusiast and not a cryptic Irish writer, I imagine his solution to my problem would be not "look west," but instead, "look to Ravenswood." Nestled into the stone and mortar façade of this oft-overlooked Chicago neighborhood sits Zola Jones Designs — homemade handbag heaven.

Designer Jason Loper, who designs, stitches, and sells everything in the store himself, is a joy to speak with, loves his vintage sewing machine, and is a master at crafting high-quality (and reasonably priced) bags. To show just how nice he is, 10% of his holiday sales will be donated to the Night Ministry.

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Check out Zola Jones' wares here or at his etsy shop.

Aiden Landman is a Venus Zine editorial intern.